RESEARCH INFORMATION

Executive Summary

The Harvard Medical School Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies was established to facilitate interdisciplinary and inter-institutional faculty collaborations for research and evaluation of complementary and integrative medical (CAM) therapies. In April 2001, The Osher Research Center was established to help the Division in its research mission, as well as the delivery of educational programs to the medical community and the public, and the investigation of the design of sustainable models of complementary and integrative care delivery within an academic setting.

Complementary therapies include a range of health care practices that mainstream, conventional medicine does not routinely make available, such as acupuncture, herbal therapies, chiropractic, relaxation techniques, and therapeutic massage. Integrative Medicine involves the integration of conventional medical and evidence-based complementary therapies. It also highlights the importance of patient participation and the patient-practitioner relationship. In 1997, Americans made an estimated 600 million office visits to providers of complementary therapies and spent roughly $30 billion out of pocket on complementary care. The budget for the National Institutes of Health to support research in this area has roughly doubled every two years since 1993, and currently exceeds $200 million annually. In addition, private support has allowed researchers and physicians to gather preliminary data and explore new avenues of scientific research.

The Osher Research Center under the direction of David Eisenberg, MD, currently occupy 8,000 square feet of dedicated space and include a staff of approximately 25 persons. The Division is accessible to more than 5,000 full-time Harvard faculty members at 17 affiliated teaching hospitals.

History of the Division and Osher Research Center

What is now the Division began in 1995 as the Center for Alternative Medicine Research and Education at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center – a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. This early effort facilitated the study of scientific and medical dimensions of complementary therapies, as well as legal, ethical, and economic implications of these therapies. The Center grew dramatically and produced significant research and educational programs, including more than fifty peer-reviewed publications and a range of studies relating to complementary and integrative medicine safety, efficacy, cost-effectiveness and policy. In 2000, Harvard Medical School established the Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies. In 2001, a generous gift from the Bernard Osher Foundation led to the establishment of the Harvard Medical School Osher Research Center which operates in concert with the Division. In early 2002, all activities moved from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to Harvard Medical School.

Currently, the Division and the Research Center are designing and implementing a variety of research studies, continuing medical education programs, medical school courses, a robust fellowship training program, and a plan for a model integrative care clinical facility. Rigorous scientific research forms the foundation for all activities within the Division. Early studies focused on survey research, back pain trials, and placebo research. Over the past year, research interests have been expanded to include basic and translational research in specific modalities.

Survey Research

In 1993, Dr. Eisenberg published a seminal article in the New England Journal of Medicine (See Appendix for a complete list of publications) documenting the vast extent of the demand for complementary medicine by American consumers. The article described a 1990 national survey showing that 34% of American adults had used at least one unconventional therapy in the previous year, resulting in 425 million office visits. By 1997, the trend had increased to 47% of Americans utilizing these therapies with 625 million office visits.

In 1998, a follow-up national survey of CAM use was completed and the results were published in JAMA. This article, and its companion article published 1993 are the most frequently cited publications in the field of complementary and alternative medicine.

An added benefit of the databases created as a result of this survey research is that instruments developed and data collected have been used by multiple investigators to generate a range of publications. Populations studied have included: patients with HIV, individuals with physical disabilities, women with breast cancer, elderly Americans, individuals with anxiety and depression, patients with diabetes, and individuals with neck and back pain. Data from the 1997 and newer governmental surveys are now being used to generate studies and analyses pertaining to the use and costs of CAM therapies in the United States.

Request for Collaboration

Harvard-based faculty who have a project, proposal, or source of funding that may be of interest to the Division are urged to download this form, complete it and return to us. We will be happy to review your proposal and let you know of our interest in collaborating in return. Researchers outside of Harvard who are seeking a position during a paid leave-of-absence are also encouraged to use this form. Please be aware that proposals that are consonant with the Division's strategic research goals will receive priority attention.