Welcome to the Research Department of Oregon College of Oriental Medicine
The mission of the OCOM Research Department is to enhance evidence-informed health care through innovative design, evaluation and dissemination of research on acupuncture, herbal medicine and other East Asian therapies. Our researchers, faculty members and work-study students collaborate with colleagues at complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and conventional medicinal institutions, both locally and nationally, on research, education and clinical care.
OCOM Research Students Leading the Way: AOM Research Results in Expanded Use of Acupuncture under Oregon Health Plan
As a result of the research conducted by OCOM students and presented to the Oregon Health Services Commission (HSC) by the Oregon Association for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (OAAOM), new conditions have just been authorized for the use of acupuncture under the Oregon Health Plan. These additions include the use of acupuncture for pregnancy, mild to moderate depression and mood disorders, migraines, and tension headaches.
The students were enrolled between 2010 and 2011 in the Health Care Public Policy Group, one of several group research projects in the Oriental Medicine Research (OMR) Project course. They were mentored by Shelley Stump, JD, Planning, Operations & Assessment Officer and by Ryan Milley, MAcOM, LAc, the OMR course instructor. The students utilized the OCOM AcuTrialsÒ database, which is the most comprehensive collection of randomized clinical trials and systematic reviews in the English language, to compile and summarize the research evidence supporting the use of acupuncture for these conditions. Their summaries were subsequently presented to the Oregon Services Commission by Ryan Milley and Laura Ocker, MAcOM, LAc, President of the OAAOM Board of Directors. Laura is an OCOM alumna.
The current OMR Health Care Public Policy students are working on research related to more conditions: osteoarthritis, neck pain, and possibly neuraligia/low back pain. The research they summarize will be submitted to OAAOM for submission to the new Health Evidence Review Commission (previously HSC) for consideration in their revision to the prioritized list in 2014. The current student group is also working on ways to "get the word out” about these efforts to LAcs and MD's in Oregon and to the AOM community nationally.
Finally, based on Laura Ocker's great work before the HSC last year, she has been appointed to the Values Based Benefits Subcommittee of the Health Evidence Review Commission. Congratulations to Laura who will continue to provide strong connection to this process for future enhancements to the use of acupuncture in the public health arena.
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OCOM Research Department receives supplemental APREE grant The OCOM Research Department, under Dean of Research Deborah Ackerman, has been awarded an $88,000 grant by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) to supplement the previous Acupuncture Practitioner Research Enhancement (APREE) grant. The focus of the original APREE grant, awarded to former Dean of Research, Richard Hammerschlag, was to enhance the research interests and skills of faculty, and introduce research literacy competencies in the classroom. The focus of the supplement is to continue those initiatives and to further develop the clinic-based outcomes research program.
