An official website of the United States governmentNCCIH 2016 Strategic Plan
This plan outlines NCCIH’s strategic direction in complementary and integrative health research. It identifies five core objectives and presents a detailed assessment of opportunities and gaps in the Center’s current top priority areas.
The new strategic plan was developed during an 18-month planning process, with input from NCCIH staff, stakeholders, and scientific advisors, as well as guidance from the broader National Institutes of Health strategic plan.
A Message From the Director
Introduction
- The Use and Cost of Complementary Health Approaches in the United States
- Symptoms Matter—Leading Causes of Disability
- Use of Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches in the United States, 2012
Objective 1: Advance Fundamental Science and Methods Development
- Advance understanding of basic biological mechanisms of action of natural products, including prebiotics and probiotics.
- Advance understanding of the mechanisms through which mind and body approaches affect health, resiliency, and well-being.
- Develop new and improved research methods and tools for conducting rigorous studies of complementary health approaches and their integration into health care.
Objective 2: Improve Care for Hard-to-Manage Symptoms
- Develop and improve complementary health approaches and integrative treatment strategies for managing symptoms such as pain, anxiety, and depression.
- Conduct studies in “real world” clinical settings to test the safety and efficacy of complementary health approaches, including their integration into health care.
Objective 3: Foster Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
- Investigate mechanisms of action of complementary and integrative health approaches in health resilience and practices that improve health and prevent disease.
- Study complementary health approaches to promote health and wellness across the lifespan in diverse populations.
- Explore research opportunities to study and assess the safety and efficacy of complementary health approaches in nonclinical settings such as community and employer-based wellness programs.
Objective 4: Enhance the Complementary and Integrative Health Research Workforce
- Support research training and career development opportunities to increase the number and quality of scientists trained to conduct rigorous, cutting-edge research on complementary and integrative health practices.
- Foster interdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships.
Objective 5: Disseminate Objective Evidence-based Information on Complementary and Integrative Health Interventions
- Disseminate evidence-based information on complementary and integrative health approaches.
- Develop methods and approaches to enhance public understanding of basic scientific concepts and biomedical research.
Top Scientific Priorities
- Nonpharmacologic Management of Pain
- Neurobiological Effects and Mechanisms
- Innovative Approaches for Establishing Biological Signatures of Natural Products
- Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Across the Lifespan
- Clinical Trials Utilizing Innovative Study Designs To Assess Complementary Health Approaches and Their Integration Into Health Care
- Communications Strategies and Tools To Enhance Scientific Literacy and Understanding of Clinical Research