NCCIH Research Blog

Sara Rue, M.P.H.
Health Program Specialist
Division of Extramural Research
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Are you a complementary and integrative health practitioner or clinician-scientist? Are you looking for ways to gain more research experience in your field? Or are you a funded investigator looking for ways to incorporate practitioners with clinical training in complementary and integrative health practices into your research team or training program? 

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) provides opportunities for complementary and integrative health clinician-scientists to advance their careers. We know it’s a challenge for clinicians to find research opportunities; NCCIH is committed to identifying barriers and creating solutions as outlined in our strategic plan. We have developed a suite of administrative supplement opportunities to support complementary and integrative health practitioners across different stages of research training and career development.

We hope that one of these opportunities will help you with your career development and research goals and that investigators and training program directors will connect with eligible practitioners and apply for these important funding opportunities.

Please read below for more details about each of these programs, including eligibility and due dates.

NCCIH T32 Complementary and Integrative Health Practitioner Supplement Program for Pre- and Postdoctoral Candidates (NOT-AT-21-014)

• Provides support for a supplementary slot on an NCCIH-funded T32 program to support a practitioner at the pre- or postdoctoral level.

The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) T32 Institutional Research Training Grant program serves as a catalyst to pre- and postdoctoral candidates to train them in conducting research and prepare candidates for a research career. This opportunity through NCCIH encourages individuals and practitioners with complementary and integrative health degrees to gain practical experience in complementary and integrative research in an intensive, supervised research program. Applications are accepted in January and July and awarded for a minimum of 1 year and maximum of 3 years.

Eligibility: For this opportunity, complementary and integrative health degrees include, but are not limited to, acupuncture, music therapy, chiropractic, naturopathic, physical therapy, and/or osteopathic degrees.

Administrative Supplement for Complementary Health Practitioner Research Experience (NOT-AT-22-010)

• Provides support for a practitioner to obtain research skills and work on a project within scope of an NCCIH-funded parent award.

For those of you already engaged in complementary and integrative health work at your institution and looking for opportunities to spend significant effort on research-related activities, this administrative supplement may be appropriate. This opportunity allows the candidate to devote at least 75 percent effort to research-related activities, with the possibility to propose your own research project, secondary analyses, or ongoing research within the scope of an NCCIH-funded parent award. Applications are accepted in April and October.  

Eligibility: This opportunity is available to pre- and postdoctoral complementary and integrative health clinicians and licensed practitioners, to include, but not limited to, licensed acupuncturists, massage therapists, and/or art-based therapists; certified yoga therapists; chiropractic doctors; Doctor of Physical Therapy; and naturopathic or osteopathic physicians. 

NCCIH Administrative Supplements to NCATS CTSA Program for Scholars Pursuing Complementary Health Research Career Development (NOT-AT-20-010)

• Provides support for a supplementary slot on a KL2 program funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) to support a practitioner at the early career level.

NCCIH has partnered with NCATS to support administrative supplements to the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) KL2 program. The KL2 program supplements supported through NCCIH help to develop a pipeline of qualified clinician-scientist investigators with doctoral, clinical complementary and integrative health degrees and expertise conducting clinical or translational research on complementary clinical interventions of NCCIH high-priority research topics. The research experience supported under this opportunity is intended to enhance the transition to an independent researcher as a principal investigator or subject matter expert in a collaborative team science approach. See information about current KL2 scholars, frequently asked questions, and program requirements. Applications are accepted in April and October.

Eligibility: Scholars must have a doctoral, clinical complementary and integrative health degree, such as Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (D.A.O.M.), Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.), and/or Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (N.D.).

For More Information

View other career development opportunities on the NCCIH training and workforce development page.