| Welcome to the Research Department at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine |
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The mission of the Research Department is to enhance evidence-informed healthcare 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. Since its founding in 1999 by Dr. Richard Hammerschlag, the department's research partners have included such leading health education and research institutions as Oregon Health & Science University, the University of Arizona, Legacy Health System, Portland State University and Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, and Western States Chiropractic College. These collaborative projects have been funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health/National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) and from private foundations. This year Deborah Ackerman has taken over the leadership of the department and will continue to foster collaborative research. Research appreciation and literacy is infused into both the master's and doctoral curricula. A series of three courses for master's students provides the foundation for understanding the role of research in the field. In the first year, a course entitled, "Ways of Knowing: Experience and Evidence in Oriental Medicine" introduces students to key concepts of research literacy. The year two course, "Oriental Medicine Research," grounds students in the challenges and current status of clinical research in acupuncture and other modalities of Oriental medicine. In the third year, "Research Practicum" course, students demonstrate their abillity to infuse research information into practice-building talks or into research design. Doctoral research coursework provides students with a deeper understanding of issues in research design and evaluation. Critical thinking skills are developed, along with an appreciation of evidence-based criteria and outcomes in health care research and clinical practice. In the Capstone Project of the DAOM program students demonstrate their abilities to synthesize the theoretical and practical/clinical aspects of doctoral education, critically evaluate research and potentially contribute to the research base of acupuncture and Oriental medicine, and enhance competencies of professional communication. Research at Oregon College of Oriental Medicine is facilitated by the Clinic Research Committee and the Institutional Review Board. The CRC functions to coordinate and prioritize emerging interests for data collection from the OCOM Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic and the college's collaborative research projects. The IRB reviews all research projects involving human subjects to ensure patient safety and confidentiality.
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