NCCAM Welcomes Six New Members to Its National
Advisory Council
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
(NCCAM) welcomes six new members to the National Advisory Council
for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NACCAM). The Council
serves as the principal advisory body to NCCAM, a component of
the National Institutes of Health within the Department of Health
and Human Services.
The Council, which meets three times a year, is composed of physicians,
scientists, licensed complementary and alternative medicine practitioners,
and representatives of the public who contribute their time and
expertise over a 4-year term. Council members offer advice and
recommendations on the prioritization, conduct, and support of
complementary and alternative medicine research, including research
training and disseminating health information derived from NCCAM's
research.
New NACCAM members include:
- Lori Arviso Alvord, M.D., Dartmouth Medical
School, Hanover, NH
- Stephen Barnes, Ph.D., University of Alabama
at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
- Sheldon Cohen, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University;
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; and Pittsburgh Cancer
Institute, Pittsburgh, PA
- Fabio Cominelli, M.D., Ph.D., University of
Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA
- Margery L.S. Gass, M.D., University of Cincinnati,
Cincinnati, OH
- Frank M. Torti, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P., Wake
Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC
Lori Arviso Alvord, M.D. is the Associate Dean
for Student Affairs and Multicultural Affairs and an Assistant
Professor of Surgery and Psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School.
Her research examines surgical outcomes in American Indians. A
Navajo, her autobiography “The Scalpel and the Silver Bear” describes
her work to create culturally competent healing environments. Dr.
Alvord has received honorary degrees from Albany Medical College
and Drexel University. She has also received a Governor’s Award
for Outstanding Women from the State of New Mexico.
Stephen Barnes, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department
of Pharmacology and Toxicology, as well as the departments of Biochemistry
and Molecular Genetics, Environmental Health Sciences, Genetics,
and the Vision Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Dr. Barnes’ research focuses on the biochemistry, chemistry, and
analysis of bile acids; the role of isoflavonoids in preventing
chronic diseases; and the application of mass spectrometry to biomedical
research. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the 5th
International Symposium on the Role of Soy in the Prevention and
Treatment of Chronic Disease.
Sheldon Cohen, Ph.D. is the Robert E. Doherty
Professor of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. He is also
Adjunct Professor of Pathology and of Psychiatry at the University
of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a Member of the Pittsburgh
Cancer Institute. His research currently focuses on how interpersonal
dispositions and behaviors influence immunity and host resistance
to infectious disease. Dr. Cohen has received awards for career
contributions from the American Psychological Association, the
American Psychological Society, and the American Psychosomatic
Society. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National
Academies.
Fabio Cominelli, M.D., Ph.D. is the David D.
Stone Professor of Internal Medicine, Director of the Digestive
Health Center of Excellence, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology,
and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in
the University of Virginia Health System. Dr. Cominelli researches
mucosal immune responses and intestinal inflammation to determine
the molecular mechanisms of intestinal inflammation and develop
new therapies. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical
Investigation and the American Association of Physicians. He has
received an NIH Merit Award and the Clinical Excellence Award from
the University of Virginia Department of Medicine.
Margery L.S. Gass, M.D. is a Professor of Clinical
Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the University Hospital
Menopause and Osteoporosis Center at the University of Cincinnati
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her research areas include
menopause, osteoporosis, and female sexual function. She is a principal
investigator for the Women’s Health Initiative and is a past member
of the Executive Committee for the study. Dr. Gass is a past president
and board member of the North American Menopause Society and has
been cited in Best Doctors in America.
Frank M. Torti, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P. is the
Charles L. Spurr Professor of Medicine and Chairman of the Department
of Cancer Biology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
He is also the Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake
Forest University. Dr. Torti has studied the molecular action of
oxidants and cytokines (cellular messengers) and their relationship
to cancer and the balance of iron in the body. He is a noted researcher
and clinician in the area of genitourinary (GU) malignancies, and
is the GU oncology section editor of Current Opinion in Oncology.
He recently received an NIH Merit Award.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s
mission is to explore complementary and alternative medical practices
in the context of rigorous science, train CAM researchers, and
disseminate authoritative information to the public and professionals.
For additional information, call NCCAM’s Clearinghouse toll free
at 1-888-644-6226, or visit the NCCAM Web site at www.nccam.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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