NICM to recognise top complementary medicine researchers

The National Institute of Complementary Medicine * (NICM) is calling for nominations for the inaugural Research Excellence Awards program which has been launched today.

The NICM Research Excellence Awards have been established to encourage and reward work that exemplifies scientific rigour in advancing the evidence base for complementary medicine and employs novel approaches to addressing key issues and methodological challenges.

There is a long history of practice, many hundreds of years in some cases, but the complementary medicine research field is still relatively young according to NICM Executive Director Professor Alan Bensoussan.

"Australia is internationally renowned for the strength of our mainstream health and medical scientists.  Less well known are our complementary medicine researchers.  Everyone wants better evidence for complementary medicine.  However, to get good evidence, you need to attract and retain strong researchers to the sector."

"Awards are a well recognised mechanism of highlighting good work and encouraging future generations to consider working in the field."

Professor Bensoussan said there are seven awards in four categories to reward leadership and collaboration, reinforce the importance of basic and translational research and acknowledge emerging talent.

"Our aim is hold these awards annually to help build capacity, support innovation, reward leadership and the pursuit of excellence. We encourage entries from researchers across the country who have helped to establish this sector and from those who may be just starting out."

Nominations close Friday 1 May 2009 with the winners to be announced at the NICM National Forum in Brisbane on June 18 2009.   The NICM Researcher Excellence Awards Entry Guide - providing details and examples on each award, the criteria for each entry and guideline on application format is available at www.nicm.edu.au

ENDS

For more information contact Dimity Pinto NICM Communications and Media Manager on 0412 164 333.

* NICM provides leadership and support for strategically directed research into complementary medicine and translation of evidence into clinical practice and relevant policy to benefit the health of all Australians.  The Institute was established in 2007 with federal and state government grants and is hosted by the University of Western Sydney.   https://email.ad.uws.edu.au/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?url="