Research Project
8302175
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application, entitled Sustainable EBP Program in a CAM Institution is a continuation of the previously funded R25 program, Curriculum Development in Evidence Based Practice (EBP) (NIH/NCCAM Grant # R25 AT002872). This program strengthens and expands the partnering relationship between the National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) School of Public Health (SPH). The primary objective of the initial grant was to develop graduate doctors of chiropractic (DCs) who will practice using the concepts, methods, and procedures of EBP. The program expanded to include students and faculty in the following degree programs: doctor of naturopathic medicine (ND), master's degrees in acupuncture and oriental medicine, and massage therapy certificate program. This will continue. The new program will ensure sustainability of programs implemented under the initial award, while providing continued growth. Like the first grant, this program has three components: student education, faculty development, and mentored research. Whereas the first grant emphasized the development and implementation of a comprehensive student EBP core curriculum (which is now in place), the new program will emphasize faculty development. This emphasis on faculty development will ensure sustainability of the student education curriculum and will bolster the institution's cultural growth toward leadership in EBP. In the new student education component, new elective courses for students will be created. They will be taught by faculty trained in the faculty development component. These courses will provide in-depth EBP experiences for highly interested and motivated students. The courses will increase students' knowledge and skills related to EBP and will also provide opportunities for faculty members to direct and mentor students in their own area of interest, thus helping the faculty to remain at the cutting edge of knowledge in their fields. Finally, the student mentored research component permits select students to take courses at the UIC SPH for one semester and conduct research under a UIC mentor's oversight. This successful program will continue as it is transitioned to a sustainable DC/Master's of Public Health dual degree program with UIC SPH. As with the previous grant, all three aspects of the program will be formally assessed every semester and the results submitted for publication. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project strengthens and expands the partnering relationship between the National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) School of Public Health (SPH) in order to develop complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners who practice using the concepts, methods, and procedures of evidence-based practice (EBP); thereby improving patient outcomes. Sustainability of the EBP student education curriculum will be achieved through continued faculty development, and new elective courses for students that will be created, both efforts are designed to improve students' understanding and practice of EBP. To increase the focus of CAM practitioners on public health issues, the current UIC mentored research program for NUHS students will be transitioned to a sustainable, collaborative DC/Master's of Public Health degree with the UIC SPH.
