NCCIH Welcomes Five New Members to Its National Advisory Council

The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) announces the selection of five individuals to serve as members of the National Advisory Council for Complementary and Integrative Health (NACCIH). This is the principal advisory body to NCCIH, the lead Federal agency for research on complementary and integrative health. Members of the NACCIH—composed of physicians, scientists, complementary health practitioners, and members of the public—serve a four-year term and meet three times per year to provide second-level peer review, as well as advice and recommendations on the prioritization of NCCIH-supported research.

“These new NACCIH members bring additional expertise and experience across many disciplines and practices in our field to this dedicated team of advisors,” said Helene M. Langevin, M.D., NCCIH Director.

The new members are:

Tammy Born Huizenga, D.O., owner and chief medical officer of the Born Preventive Health Care Clinic, Grand Rapids, Michigan. As a clinician, she is interested in patient-centered care, evidence-based health care, and integration of best practices—from traditional Western medicine and complementary and integrative health. Dr. Born Huizenga received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Board certified in family practice and a diplomate of the American Board of Chelation Therapy, she has been a clinical assistant professor and a preceptor at Michigan State University. She was a site investigator on NIH’s Trial To Assess Chelation Therapy. Dr. Born Huizenga’s other appointments include the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery (president, 1999 to 2001).

Todd Braver, Ph.D., full professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences with appointments in Radiology and Neuroscience, and co-principal investigator of the Cognitive Control and Psychopathology Laboratory, at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Braver’s research focus is the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying memory, attention, and controlled processing. His approach combines computational modeling, functional neuroimaging (fMRI and PET), and behavioral studies. NCCIH, the National Institute on Mental Health, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Science Foundation are among his research funders. Dr. Braver received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in cognitive neuroscience from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a Fellow both of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Society of Experimental Psychologists. The Clare Hall Visiting Fellowship at Cambridge University and the APA’s McGuigan Young Investigator Award are among his other honors.

Anthony Delitto, Ph.D., P.T., F.A.P.T.A., dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Delitto’s clinical work is with people who have painful musculoskeletal disorders. His current research focus is on implementing classification and treatment-effectiveness studies into quality improvement initiatives and conducting trials of exercise interventions for Parkinson’s disease patients. He was awarded one of the first large, pragmatic trials from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Dr. Delitto holds a Ph.D. in social psychology and an M.H.S. in physical therapy from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. His many awards include, from the American Physical Therapy Association, the Golden Pen Award, Rose Award, Williams Award, Worthingham Fellow, McMillan Lecture Award, Hislop Award, and Bowling-Erhard Orthopaedic Clinical Practice Award.

Wolf Mehling, M.D., professor of Clinical, Family, and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine (UCSF) and an integrative physician and a core research faculty member at UCSF’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. Dr. Mehling’s major research interests are chronic low-back pain, mind and body approaches, integrative exercise, and cross-cultural differences in bodily awareness. NCCIH, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Alzheimer’s Association are among his research funders. His clinical practice focuses on patients with musculoskeletal pain. Dr. Mehling trained as a family physician and in manual medicine and psychotherapy, practiced privately in Germany for 12 years, taught manual medicine to other physicians, and has studied numerous mind and body therapies. He received his M.D. from the University of Hamburg, Germany, and completed a clinical research fellowship at UCSF.

Lynne Shinto, N.D., M.P.H., a professor in the Department of Neurology at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, Oregon. Dr. Shinto’s research focuses on complementary and integrative therapies—such as omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, mind and body techniques, and lifestyle interventions—in the context of preventing and/or treating neurological and chronic health disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease; multiple sclerosis; and psychosis in youth. Among her research funders are NCCIH, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Dr. Shinto is also an integrative physician at the Center for Women’s Health, OHSU, and an educator. She holds an N.D. from Bastyr University and an M.P.H. from OHSU, where she completed a postdoctoral fellowship.

More information about the NACCIH is available at https://nccih.nih.gov/about/naccih.