ISCMR NEWSFLASH 

1) News from the European Chapter

* At the moment we have 28 registered members of the European Chapter. We are        growing,  but would like to grow a little more: Please go        to http://www.iscmr.org/members/updatemember.php, check your details and scroll down    to tick the box: 19. I would like to subscribe to the newslist of the European Chapter of        ISCMR in order to get information on CAM research in Europe? 

* What benefits will you have? In the near future we would like to inform our European            Chapter members regularly and exclusively about news concerning activities in Europe.

*  this information will certainly also be available on our website:    http://www.iscmr.org/interestgroup/interestgroup.php.

Please read further for the latest news:

There are opportunities within the new European Chapter to forge cross cultural and cross country collaborations through a range of networks.

Mapping postgraduate activity in universities. 

The Research Council for Complementary Medicine (RCCM) is a UK charity which has since 1983, focused on developing and promoting research and good quality evidence in CAM (www.rccm.org.uk). The CAM STrategy Research And Development (CAMSTRAND) was formed in March 2007 to facilitate networking among CAM
research and teaching groups in UK universities. The need to further develop rigorous research in CAM is critical as is the need to train and develop more CAM researchers to enhance academic capacity. Research with a CAM focus may be located in a range of university departments such as medicine, psychology, biochemistry, phytochemistry, nutrition, anthropology and social science. In 2008, the RCCM in conjunction with
the CAMSTRAND group carried out a survey in 2008 to identify the breadth of postgraduate research activity being supported by UK universities. Identifying the range and extent of postgraduate research may help in providing and facilitating future research opportunities and collaborations This survey identified 80 research-active postgraduates registered for MPhil/PhDs in 21 universities who were either current students or who
completed their postgraduate degree during the recent UK Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2001-2008. The single largest postgraduate degree funder was the University where the student was registered (26/80). Thirty two student projects were randomized controlled trials and 33 used qualitative research methods. The UK RAE also indicates a significant growth of postdoctoral and tenured research activity in CAM over this period with a considerable improvement in research quality. This mapping exercise suggests that considerable effort is currently being invested in developing UK CAM research capacity.

The RCCM will continue to collect UK data and will develop their website as repository for active postgraduate research . They are keen to look at such activity in other countries and link with ISCMR in this initiative. If you would like to help us to carry out a mapping exercise in your own country so that we can start to build up a comprehensive picture of postgraduate
activity in Europe. Please contact Prof Nicola Robinson, Chair of the RCCM

(nicky.robinson@tvu.ac.uk) 

AM and Paediatrics

In paediatrics, networks have already been established and links are developing. For example, in Canada, the Pediatric Complementary and Alternative Research and Education (PedCAM) Network was established in 2004 and has many international members and collaborators. Main activities centre around information dissemination and networking and
members include researchers, educators, clinicians, and policy-makers. An academic, non-commercial organization, PedCAM is housed within the CARE program, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta
(www.care.ualberta.ca). <http://www.care.ualberta.ca>

Pediatric CAM conferences have been held in conjunction with CAM conferences in England (Exeter, December 2007) and Australia (ICCMR,Sydney, March 2008), and there will be a pediatric CAM day on 12 May2009, as part of the North American Research Conference for Complementary and Integrative Medicine. These meetings have allowed the development of networks in Europe and Asia. Professor Robinson has been active member of PedCAM and its developing European members. At Thames Valley University, Professor Robinson's
Kings Fund project on Complementary and Traditional approaches to health in children in multi-ethnic community in the UK has resulted in the development of a CAM decision making model for children which she is now keen to test in other ethnic and cultural groups and is looking for interested international collaborators. The project website is being launched this summer which will act as a platform for researchers, parents and healthcare providers.
Watch this space www.tvu.ac.uk/cchim <http://www.tvu.ac.uk/cchim>

The PedCAM provides members with bi weekly emails about new funding and educational opportunities, new publications and other newsworthy items relevant to our field. The PedCAM website is currently being upgraded;the new website will include a searchable database of citations related to Pediatric CAM (with digital repositories for 
pediatric CAM utilization studies, randomized controlled trials, and systematic reviews).

PedCAM is open to all for membership, and membership is free. To register for membership, see www.pedcam.ca.For any additional information please email the PedCAM Network coordinator Connie Winther at info@pedcam.ca <mailto:info@pedcam.ca> . PedCAM gratefully acknowledges the funding support from Sick Kids Foundation and Lotte &
John Hecht Memorial Foundation.

Questions or suggestions? We would like to hear from you. Please contact us at info@iscmr.org .