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**MEDIA ADVISORY**

New Perspectives on Patient Care & Treatment: Thirty Leading Academic Health Centers Join Forces to Hold First Global Integrative Medicine Conference in North America

Peer-Reviewed, Scientific Research Examining the Safety, Efficacy, Mechanism and Cost-Effectiveness of Complementary & Integrative Medical Therapies

What:

Complementary or Integrative medicine (formerly dubbed "alternative" medicine) has attracted increased interest from physicians and researchers at the world's leading academic medical institutions. For the first time, renowned basic and clinical researchers, physicians and educators in the field of complementary or integrative medicine will come together to participate in a global forum to present and discuss new, peer-reviewed research at the first North American Research Conference on Complementary & Integrative Medicine, http://www.imconsortium-conference2006.com.

The conference will showcase new basic and clinical research into complementary and integrative therapeutic approaches and seek to promote educational collaboration among cross multiple medical disciplines. During this meeting, researchers and health care providers will examine and address the validity of a variety of complementary and integrative medicine approaches including massage, herbal therapies, acupuncture, dietary supplements, yoga, hypnosis, mind body and lifestyle approaches to patient care. The conference is sponsored by the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine, a collective of 32 leading schools of medicine in the U.S. and Canada.

When:

Thursday, May 25 - Saturday, May 27, 2006

Where:

Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Key Data Presentations:Plenary and scientific sessions include invited talks and featured abstract presentations examining treatment approaches to:*Osteoarthritis*Cardiovascular disease*Chronic lower back and neck pain*Rheumatoid arthritis*Pain management*Menopause*Novel models of healthcare delivery

In addition, numerous abstracts dedicated to basic research into areas such as immune system response and cellular regulation associated with complementary approaches will also be presented.

Key Participants:

*David Eisenberg, M.D. - Director, Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies at Harvard Medical School's Osher Institute

*Susan Folkman, Ph.D. - Director, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and the Osher Foundation Distinguished Professor of Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and Chairperson, Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine

*Brian Berman, M.D. - Director, Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine

*Margaret A. Chesney, Ph.D. - First Deputy Director, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and Director of the Center's Division of Extramural Research and Training

*Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D. - William James and Vilas Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry and Director of the W. M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

*David Moher, Ph.D. - Director of Clinical Research and the Chalmers Research Group, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute

*Peter E. Lipsky, M.D. - Scientific Director, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, former Director of the Harold C. Simmons Arthritis Research Center at the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center and past Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Immunology

*Aviad Haramati, Ph.D. - Professor, Department of Physiology & Biophysics at Georgetown University's School of Medicine.

Contact:

Embargoed press materials will be available on May 22. For more information about the conference, for a full program and/or abstracts, or for an interview, please contact Mechal Weiss or Todd Ringler

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About the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative MedicineThe Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine was established in 2002 and is comprised of 32 schools of medicine in the U.S. and Canada. Its mission is to help transform medicine and healthcare through rigorous scientific studies, new models of clinical care, and innovative educational programs that integrate biomedicine, the complexity of human beings, the intrinsic nature of healing and the rich diversity of therapeutic systems. The Consortium's goal is to make a qualitative difference in people's health by advocating an integrative model of healthcare, incorporating mind, body and spirit. For more information and a list of members please visit the website: http://www.imconsortium.org