David M. Eisenberg, MD
Bernard Osher Associate Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Director
Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies

Dr. Eisenberg is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School. He completed his fellowship training in general internal medicine and primary care and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine. In 1979, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences Dr. Eisenberg served as the first US medical exchange student to the People’s Republic of China. In 1993, he was the medical advisor to the PBS Series, “Healing and the Mind” with Bill Moyers. More recently, Dr. Eisenberg served as an advisor to the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and the Federation of State Medical Boards with regard to complementary, alternative and integrative medicine research, education and policy. From 2003-2005 Dr. Eisenberg served on a National Academy of Sciences Committee responsible for the Institute of Medicine Report entitled, “The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine by the American Public.” Dr. Eisenberg has authored numerous scientific articles involving complementary and integrative medical therapies and currently oversees Harvard Medical School’s research, educational and clinical programs in this area.

Julie E. Buring, ScD
Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Deputy Director, Division of Preventive Medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Director of Clinical Research
Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies

Dr. Buring received her BA in mathematics from Pomona College in Claremont, California in 1971; a masters degree in biostatistics from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1975; and a doctorate in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health in 1983.

Dr. Buring's research focuses on the epidemiology of chronic disease, primarily cardiovascular disease and cancer, and especially among women. She is involved in a number of large-scale clinical trials of the prevention of these diseases. She is Principal Investigator of the Women's Health Study, a large-scale randomized clinical trial of the benefits and risks of low-dose aspirin and vitamin E in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer, being conducted among 40,000 female health professionals. In addition, Dr. Buring is Co-Principal Investigator of the Women's Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study (evaluating the benefits of antioxidant therapy among 8,000 women with a history of cardiovascular disease), the Physicians' Health Study II (a randomized trial of vitamins E, C, beta-carotene and a multivitamin currently ongoing among 15,000 male physicians), and the Brigham and Women's Hospital Vanguard Center of the Women's Health Initiative, which is evaluating low-fat diet, postmenopausal hormones, and calcium/vitamin E supplementation among 70,000 women nationwide.

Dr. Buring is actively involved in the teaching and training of students and fellows in epidemiology, both nationally and internationally, and is Director of an NIH training grant in the Epidemiology of Aging. Dr. Buring has published more than 250 articles in the medical literature, and is co-author of a widely used introductory textbook, Epidemiology in Medicine.

Steven C. Schachter, MD
Professor of Neurology
Harvard Medical School
Investigator
Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies
Director of Research, Department of Neurology
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Dr. Schachter attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He completed an internship in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a neurological residency at the Harvard-Longwood Neurological Training Program, and an epilepsy fellowship at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He is currently Director of Research for the Neurology Department and Vice Chair of the Committee for Clinical Investigations at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Schachter's current work focuses on the investigation of traditional therapies to treat neurological diseases.

Dr. Schachter compiled the 5-volume Brainstorms series, which has been distributed to over 150,000 patients and families worldwide. He has edited or written eight other books on epilepsy and behavioral neurology, and is the founding editor and editor-in-chief of Epilepsy & Behavior.

Ted J. Kaptchuk
Associate Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Associate Director
Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies

Ted J. Kaptchuk is one of the few individuals who manages to comfortably straddle both the alternative and conventional medical worlds. His original education took place at a school in Macao, China and he is an acknowledged scholar in East Asian medicine. He is also considered an expert in many other forms of alternative medicine. For the last ten years, his research interests have shifted to placebo studies and he has led numerous NIH-funded clinical, basic science, social science, historical, methodological and ethical investigations of placebo effects. He recently completed a four year service as an expert panelist of the FDA and is currently serving his second four year term on the National Advisory Council of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), NIH. He has authored over 100 articles in such journals as Lancet, British Medical Journal, Annals of Internal Medicine, New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Bulletin for the History of Medicine and Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.

Russell S. Phillips, MD
Professor of Medicine
Director of Fellowship Training
Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies
Harvard Medical School

Dr. Phillips is Chief, Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at BIDMC. He is Director of Fellowship Training at the Osher Research Center and directs the T32 NCCAM-funded research fellowship program on complementary and integrative medicine. He also directs the Harvard Faculty Development and Fellowship Program in General Medicine. He is the recipient of a K24 Mid-Career Investigator Award from NCCAM and, in 1999, received the Barger Award for Excellence in Mentorship at Harvard Medical School. He has mentored fellows on clinical trials, survey research, secondary data analyses, qualitative research, cost-effectiveness analyses, and systematic reviews. Topics have included the efficacy of static magnets, mind-body therapies such as Tai Chi, the prevalence of CAM use in ethnic minorities, and heavy metals in ayurvedic medicines. He is Principal Investigator of an NCI-funded R21 on the use of massage for symptom relief among hospitalized patients with metastatic cancer. His research interests include patient safety and quality of care as well as integrative medicine.

Michael H. Cohen, JD
Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Investigator
Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies

Mr. Cohen is the author of numerous scholarly articles, and several books, including: Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Legal Boundaries and Regulatory Perspectives (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998); Beyond Complementary Medicine: Legal and Ethical Perspectives on Health Care and Human Evolution (University of Michigan Press, 2000); and Future Medicine: Ethical Dilemmas, Regulatory Challenges and Therapeutic Pathways to Health and Healing in Human Transformation (University of Michigan Press, 2003).

Sally M. Andrews BA, MBA
Executive Director
Harvard Medical School Osher Research Center

Sally M. Andrews, M.B.A., B.A., is the executive director of the Harvard Medical School Osher Research Center and Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies. Ms. Andrews has been with the Research Center since January 1, 2002. Prior to joining the Research Center, Ms. Andrews was the chief administrative officer for the Department of Medicine at Children’s Hospital, serving in that capacity for 10 years. She worked at Children’s Hospital for over 22 years. Ms. Andrews is a member of the Board of Trustees at Lasell College in Newton, MA and served as president of the Association of Administrators in Academic Pediatrics from 1996 – 1997. Ms. Andrews received her B.A. in Management from Simmons College in 1978 and her M.B.A. from Boston University in 1986.

Diana E. Post, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Attending Physician
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Dr. Post is a practicing physician in Rheumatology and Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Faulkner Hospital in Boston. In addition, she is an investigator at the Research Center, where she is involved in several clinical trials on care of back pain using both conventional and complementary medical therapies and consults to other investigators on IRB and clinical trial regulations.

Catherine Kerr received her BA from Amherst College and her PhD from the Johns Hopkins University. She currently holds a NIH K01 mentored research grant awarded by NCCAM in 2006. She uses neuroimaging and behavioral approaches to investigate mind-body therapies and the sense of touch. She is looking specifically at whether some mind-body therapies not typically regarded as touch-based (including mindfulness based stress reduction [MBSR] or Tai Chi) work by eliciting changes in neural processes and structures that encode touch and bodily sensations. She is working in collaboration with investigators at MIT and MGH and maintains the Kerr Lab at the Osher Research Center.

Lisa Ann Conboy, MA, MS, ScD
Instructor in Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Co-Director of Research
New England School of Acupuncture

Lisa Conboy is an epidemiologist with an interest in the associations between social factors and health. She is published in the areas of Women’s Health, Mind-Body Medicine, and qualitative research methodology. She is co-investigator on three NIH funded grants at the center. She is also part-time faculty at the New England School of Acupuncture where she teaches research methodology.

Dr. Wayne is founding director of faculty research at New England School of Acupuncture. He is an adjunct faculty assistant professor at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professionals and director of the Tree of Life Tai Chi Center. He received his PhD in biology from Harvard University and spent an additional nine years conducting research on the topics of evolutionary ecology, plant physiology and the impact of global climate change on public health. Dr. Wayne is the principal or co-investigator on several acupuncture, tai chi, and CAM-related studies. He has served as a panelist to review NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine grants and he is a Board Member of the Society for Acupuncture Research. Dr. Wayne has more than 25 years of training experience in the oriental arts of tai chi and qigong, and is a nationally recognized teacher of these practices.

Roger Davis, ScD
Director of Biostatistics
Associate Professor of Medicine

Dr. Davis received his BA in mathematics and statistics and MA in statistics from the University of Rochester and his doctorate in biostatistics from the Harvard School of Public Health. He also serves as Principal Biostatistican in the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at BIDMC and holds an appointment as Associate Professor in the Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health. Before coming to BIDMC and the Osher Research Center, Dr. Davis was at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute where he collaborated on national cooperative group clinical trials on cancer and AIDS. His current collaborative research activities include clinical trials, surveys, health services research and clinical epidemiology. He is actively involved in mentoring fellows and is the co-director of the T-32 NCCAM-funded research fellowship program on complementary and integrative medicine. He teaches a course on survival methods for clinical research at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Andrew Ahn, MD, MPH
Instructor in Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies

Dr. Ahn graduated from NYU medical school and completed his residency at University of Michigan Medical Center. He worked as a hospitalist at Massachusetts General Hospital for two years before starting a research fellowship with the Division. His interests include disparities in health care, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and applications of systems biology to the acupuncture model. He obtained a Master’s degree in Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is certified in acupuncture and continues his apprenticeship with an acupuncturist once a week. He is currently directing investigations as part of an NIH K career award focusing on the electro-magnetic mechanisms of acupuncture neuropathy. He also serves as a Hospitalist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Rosa Schnyer, LicAc
Acupuncture Investigator

Rosa Schnyer is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist. She chairs the strategic interest group in acupuncture and is an investigator on several projects involving Chinese medicine. Ms .Schnyer is a co-leader of the New England School of Acupuncture research collaborative with Harvard Medical School and a consultant at Stanford University on several acupuncture related grants. Her special interests are the design of Chinese medicine clinical trails, the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders and the treatment of women’s health issues with acupuncture and Chinese herbs.

Gloria Yeh, MD, MPH
Instructor in Medicine
Harvard Medical School

Dr. Yeh received her training in internal medicine from Boston University and her Masters of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. She completed an Integrative Medicine Research and Faculty Development Fellowship in 2003. Her interests include East Asian therapies and mind-body exercise for patients with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Current projects involve the use of tai chi in patients with chronic heart failure.

Paula Gardiner, MD, PhD
Clinical Instructor in Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies

Paula Gardiner MD is a graduate of Tufts University, Tufts University School of Medicine and the Tufts University Family Practice Residency. She is board certified in family practice. Her current research focus is the use of integrated medicine therapies for children, especially interested in the use of herbal medicines. She is currently involved in two NIH educational grants at Tufts University School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital, Boston, both of which are integrating an evidenced-based approach to complementary and alternative medicine into their medical students and residents curriculum. She is a Research Associate at the Center for Holistic Pediatrics Education and Research at Children’s Hospital, an Adjunct professor at the Mass College of Pharmacy, and is a Clinical Instructor in Tufts Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. She has published on topics on herbal medicine and children and has lectured nationally on the subject. Additionally, she directs the Longwood Herbal Task Force website. In August of 2007 she will be appointed to a faculty position at Boston University Medical Center where she will be working at an integrative family medicine practice under Robert Saper, MD, MPH, also a graduate of the Division's fellowship program.

Suzanne Bertisch, MD
Research Fellow in Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies

Dr. Bertisch received her BA in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and an MD from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Bertisch's research interests include acupuncture; mind-body exercise; and medical student and resident education in CAM. She practices in a primary care clinic at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and at The Marino Center for Progressive Health in Cambridge, MA. She received a Master of Public Health degree in June 2007 from HSPH.

Gurjeet Birdee, MD
Research Fellow in Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies

Dr. Birdee received his B.A. in Religion and B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Rochester. He continued at the University of Rochester to obtain his M.D. He completed an Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. Dr. Birdee’s research interests include yoga’s use in cardiovascular disease, ayurveda, and mind-body medicine. He practices integrative medicine at The Marino Center for Progressive Health in Cambridge, MA. He will receive a Master of Public Health degree in June 2008 from HSPH.

Asghar Naqvi, MD
Research Fellow in Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies

Dr. Naqvi started his professional career in music as a percussionist, where he wrote, performed and recorded a wide array of music styles. He received his Bachelors of Science in Microbiology and Masters of Natural Science from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He continued at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) in New Orleans to receive his M.D. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at LSUHSC in Baton Rouge. His research interests are dietary prevention and modification of chronic inflammatory states, particularly cardiovascular disease and the metabolic syndrome. He practices integrative medicine at the Marino Center for Progressive Health in Cambridge, MA. He will complete a Masters of Public Health degree in June of 2009 from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Anup Kanodia, MD
Research Fellow in Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies

Dr. Kanodia received his Bachelor of Science degree in natural sciences from the University of Akron and his Medical Degree from Northeastern Ohio Universities. He completed his family medicine residency at the Mayo Clinc Scottsdale. His main research interests include cost-effectiveness of complementary medicine for cardiovascular patients, healthcare saving accounts, integrative pediatrics and nutrition. He practices integrative medicine at the Marino Center for Progressive Health in Cambridge, Mass. He will receive a Master of Public Health degree in June 2008 from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Long T. Nguyen, Ph.D.
Research Fellow in Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies

Dr Nguyen holds a PhD in Medical Biophysics and Computing/Medical Informatics from the University of Utah School of Medicine. He trained as a fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health’s Department of Biostatistics and Harvard Medical School’s Decision System Lab. Between 1987 and 1996, Dr. Nguyen was an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard and developed an innovative medical informatic system at Children’s Hospital Boston. Dr Nguyen previously worked as Clinical Analytic director for McKession pharmaceutical and as Senior Principal Consultant for Keane’s Data Warehouse consulting arm. Prior to starting as a Fellow, Dr. Nguyen is a research associate at the Osher Research Center and served as resident statistician for various clinical trials. He teaches statistics and applied mathematics at Curry College and consults on statistics and business development issues in Vietnam.

Mary Quilty, BA, BS
Research Assistance and Project Coordinator

Mary holds degrees in both Finance and Anthropology and worked in financial and strategic consulting before transitioning to academic medicine. Mary’s Anthropology degree focused on the whole medical system of Ayurveda with an emphasis on how culture (media, economy, government, and healthcare) may influence the portrayal and practice of Ayurveda in the U.S. and abroad.

Ellen Connors, BS, MA
Project Coordinator

Ellen joined the Division in February 2006 from the New England School of Acupuncture where she worked as Research Coordinator for three years. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry, an M.A. in Critical and Creative Thinking and is also a massage therapist. Ellen currently serves as project coordinator for the evaluation of Tai chi for osteopenia in women.

Mark Cunningham
Administrator
Osher Center for Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies

Mark joined the Division in 2003. Working for David Eisenberg, MD and Donald Levy, MD, Mark is charged with managing the team of clinicians trained in various medical systems whose clinical focus is the treatment of musculoskeletal pain at a Brigham and Women's outpatient clinic at 850 Boylston Street in Brookline. The 25 member team has been meeting weekly since September 2003 in preparation for the opening of this clinic which took place on August 1, 2007. Mark has 20 years experience in medical practice management, having spent 10 years at Children’s Hospital, Boston.

Robert Scholten, MSLIS
Information Officer

Mr. Scholten began his career in 1997 at the Center for Alternative Medicine Research as a data specialist and librarian. In 2001 he assumed the position of Information Architect for the Osher Research Center. In addition to managing the Research Center's considerable information resources, he is also webmaster. He is also staff administrator for the Research Center's education initiatives and grants manager for its botanical studies. He holds a Masters of Library Science degree from the University of Tennessee and came to Beth Israel Hospital originally to work with at its academic computing center.