Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) International Conference, “From Mechanism to Patient-Centered Care: Research in Acupuncture and Traditional East Asian Medicine

The 2023 Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) International Conference, “From Mechanism to Patient-Centered Care: Research in Acupuncture and Traditional East Asian Medicine,” is an exceptional platform to present the state of the science of basic, translational, and clinical research in acupuncture and Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM). Over 100 million individuals in the United States are afflicted with chronic pain and conventional treatments such as opioid medications have failed many patients. Acupuncture is an integrative health intervention that has an emerging biological basis and growing clinical evidence for management of chronic pain.

As we make progress in acupuncture and TEAM science, this conference will facilitate discussion of new research methods and findings and inform future directions of TEAM research. Additionally, it will promote the timely and equitable dissemination and implementation of emerging evidence in
diverse clinical settings. The conference will be held May 18-21, 2023, in New York City. The event will be co-sponsored by the Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and the Harvard Medical School Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, two academic leaders in integrative medicine research, education, and clinical practice.

The SAR 2023 conference will highlight four symposia: 1) Anatomical basis of acupuncture: Understanding the physiological basis of needling; 2) Translational acupuncture research: Bridging basic mechanisms with clinical practice; 3) Cycle of clinical acupuncture research in oncology: From efficacy trials to implementation science; and 4) Addressing health disparities: Acupuncture for sickle cell disease pain.

As in past SAR conferences, we are also soliciting high-quality presentations of original research (e.g. basic, translational, clinical trials, dissemination and implementation science) in TEAM (e.g. acupuncture, herbs, Tai Chi, Tui Na massage) as well as member initiated symposia and workshops on research methods, research training, and dissemination of research findings.