News Briefs
News Briefs
NCCAM Posts Director’s Fellowship Position
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is seeking candidates for the NCCAM Director’s Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD.
The fellowship includes full salary, benefits, professional travel, and research support for two to three years. The fellow will undertake complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)-related clinical, translational, and/or laboratory research in the NIH’s intramural program. The candidate will be a bridge between NCCAM and the institute where the work will be performed. The NIH intramural program is said to provide state-of-the-art research facilities, access to the extensive clinical research facilities of the NIH Clinical Center, and a collegial and nurturing work environment.
Applicants must possess an MD, DO, PhD, DC, ND, or other equivalent degree, and have a record of excellence in clinical and/or laboratory research. Preference will be given to candidates with specific research interests and experience in CAM, particularly related to neuroscience (imaging), social and behavioral sciences, pharmacology, or immunology. Applications from women and minorities are encouraged.
Applicants should forward their curriculum vitae, bibliography, names of three references, and a one-page cover letter defining their area of interest and summarizing their scientific interests and experience to:
NCCAM Director’s Fellowship Search Committee
NCCAM
31 Center Drive
Room 2B-11, MSC 2182
Bethesda, MD 20892
Fax: (301) 402-4741
Email: [email protected]
Refer to Announcement NCCAM-PWF05. The deadline for receipt of applications is Sept. 16.
Safety of Black Cohosh in Clinical Trials
Participants in a recent government workshop have concluded that potential subjects in clinical trials given black cohosh should be informed about known risks and benefits associated with the dietary supplement. Steps should also be taken to monitor for rare adverse effects, such as hepatotoxicity, the participants say.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), in collaboration with the Office of Dietary Supplements, convened the workshop. Representatives from the Office of Research on Women’s Health, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Aging, the FDA, the American Herbal Products Association, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest also participated in the meeting. NCCAM recently published the workshop findings on its web site
(http://nccam.nih.gov/news/pastmeetings/blackcohosh_mtngsumm.htm).
NCCAM convened the meeting to review several case reports of hepatotoxicity in the medical literature and an abstract referencing data from a murine model of breast cancer that raised questions about the safety of black cohosh. NCCAM and other Institutes and Centers at the NIH support clinical studies on black cohosh and wanted to clarify steps that investigators might take to continue to protect participants in these studies.
The group of participants was unanimous in its support for characterizing and standardizing botanical products used in research. If adverse events happen, researchers should have as much information about the product as possible. A sample of the product for subsequent analysis would be best, the group says.
More information, such as the extraction procedures and chemical characterization of products, should be included in printed information from clinical trials, participants say. They also say that study sections reviewing grant applications should be alerted to problems associated with verification of black cohosh and other botanicals, and verification costs should be allowed as part of the research grant budget. The workshop participants would like to see ongoing efficacy studies of black cohosh for a range of symptoms and health problems, many of which are associated with menopause.
In Future Issues:
Ginkgo biloba and Depression
Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Breech Presentation
Vitamin B6 and Premenstrual Syndrome
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