Fellowship in Research in Integrative Medicine

The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, through the Program on Integrative Medicine, the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Department of Neurology, has been awarded an NIH T-32 Fellowship Training Grant for Research in Complementary, Alternative and Integrative Medicine. The award provides support for up to 3 years of research training with potential faculty mentors from multiple UNC departments, divisions and centers.

To request application forms, or if you have any questions, please contact Becky Coble at 919-966-8586 or by email at rcoble@med.unc.edu.

• Program Announcement (.pdf)
• Faculty List (.pdf)
• Fellowship Application (.doc)

The overall goal of this program is to recruit talented postdoctoral health professionals and allied scientists for training in research designed to examine the efficacy, effectiveness, safety, mechanisms of action and cost-benefits of complementary and alternative medical therapies (CAM), and integrative medicine. Through our three-year training program, fellows will be rigorously trained in research methodology, receive a firm grounding in CAM concepts and research issues, participate in the ongoing research of their mentors, develop and conduct studies that will create the foundation for future trials, and participate in the development of innovative tools and measurements for CAM and integrative approaches to care. We expect the program to produce highly qualified, successful investigators whose careers will contribute substantially to research in CAM.

Trainees will be hired for a three-year interdisciplinary program designed for physicians, as well as doctoral-level behavioral and social scientists, and doctoral level credentialed CAM practitioners. The program consists of seminars and formal course work, individual mentoring, research projects, elective seminars and classes, teaching, and a number of optional activities.

Eligibility

Integrative Medicine Post-doctoral Research Fellowships are open to individuals with doctoral degrees (e.g., MD, PhD, DO). In order to qualify for this federally funded grant, an applicant must be a U.S. citizen, a non-citizen national or a foreign national possessing a visa permitting permanent U.S. residence. Having a temporary or student visa is not acceptable under this grant. We plan on hiring two trainees in the first year, and two additional trainees in each of the second and third years. The University of North Carolina is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Application Process

Positions are filled for 2011-12; however, inquiries are invited/encouraged.   Application materials include:

• Completed Application Form (see link above)
• Curriculum Vita
• Two letters of recommendation
• Signed "Explanation of NIH Requirements" (upon request)

Program Description

The UNC Research Fellowship Program in Integrative Medicine will provide the following opportunities:

• A multidisciplinary research and clinical environment that brings together physicians, CAM practitioners, and basic, behavioral, social, and health-services researchers in a premier academic health professions environment
• Formal coursework in epidemiology, statistics, and other quantitative as well as qualitative research methods, with an option for a Masters in Public Health degree
• Application of research methodology through hands-on involvement in one or more CAM research projects with faculty mentoring
• Formal coursework and seminars in a wide variety of CAM philosophies, proposed mechanisms of action and techniques used in health care
• Clinical experience in integrative approaches to care
• Interaction with other scholars/fellows to reinforce and deepen understanding of the research process through "works-in-progress" seminars that integrate and support experiences and knowledge
• Mentoring in grant writing and other academic faculty skills needed to attract funding for research
• Opportunities for teaching and presenting research