The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

  • Recent Posts

  • Recent Comments

    NIH stimulus funds

     The prevailing view (not shared by me) is that better research in CAM requires more funding.

    All righty then. Here are a few opportunities to get the big bucks, thanks to the recent stimulus bill.

    First, the details.

    • The National Institutes of Health has been churning out new grant announcements tied to $10.4 billion the agency received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) — aka the stimulus bill.

    Here are a few grants that might apply to CAM researchers, thanks to The Scientist.com.
    Autism spectrum research grants

    • Purpose
      • To fund research on — among other things — treatment and intervention, and services research.
    • Eligibility
      • Any US researcher/research institution, non-profit, state, or local government.
    • Your chances
      • 40-50 grants will be awarded.

    “Grand opportunities”

    • Purpose:
      • Support “high impact ideas that… may lay the foundation for new fields of investigation.”
      • Support “applied research on cutting-edge technologies.”
      • Support “new approaches to improve the synergy and interactions among multi and interdisciplinary research teams.”
    • Eligibility
      • Any US researcher/research institution, non-profit, state, or local government.
    • Your chances
      • NIH wants to get $200 million.

    Students and science educators

    • Purpose
      • “Encourage students to seriously pursue research careers in the health related sciences.”
      • “Provide elementary, middle school, and high school teachers, community college faculty, and faculty from non-research intensive institutions with short term research experiences.”
    • Eligibility
      • NIH-funded researchers.
    • Your chances
      • NIH wants to get $1 billion in ARRA funds out the door.

    The bottom line?
    In a past life as a member of the faculty of a pharmacy school, I viewed NIH grants as a long shot. However, good ideas plus collaboration with experienced NIH-funded researchers can increase your chances.

    4/7/09 20:11 JR

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