The 10th annual meeting of the Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) will be held Nov. 15-16 at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The annual meeting is the focal point of SAR's mission to improve the quality and increase awareness of research in acupuncture, herbal therapy and other modalities of Oriental medicine.

Two major presentations will highlight this fall's conference. Ted Kaptchuk, OMD, assistant professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School Osher Institute for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies, will pose a fundamental challenge to the acupuncture research community: "Should acupuncture be researched, or should we research the research?" David Felton, MD, PhD, executive director of the Susan Samueli Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the University of California, Irvine College of Medicine, will offer a provocative framework in which to consider mechanisms of acupuncture titled "Neuroimmunology: From Molecular Signaling to Complementary and Integrative Medicine."

As in past years, acupuncture and Oriental medicine researchers are invited to submit abstracts for oral and poster presentations of research projects that were either recently completed, are ongoing, or are still in the planning stages. The submission deadline for late-breaking oral and poster presentations is Sept. 1. (Editor's note: after this article had already gone to press, Acupuncture Today was informed that the Societ's abstract deadline had been pushed up to July 12. Subsequently, AT has been told that "late" abstracts -- i.e., those submitted after July 12 -- may be accepted as poster presentations.)

Abstract forms, hotel information and updates on the conference are available on the SAR Web site (www.acupunctureresearch.org). Information on submitting abstracts can also be obtained from the conference's program chair, Helene Langevin, MD, LAc, at hlangevi@zoo.uvm.edu.

The informal structure of the conference provides excellent opportunities for new and experienced researchers to network, exchange questions and ideas, and form collaborations for future projects. In addition, a luncheon held Nov. 16 will celebrate SAR's 10th anniversary conference.

Although you do not have to join SAR to attend the conference, anyone interested in research in acupuncture and Oriental medicine is invited to visit our Web site for information on the benefits of, and procedure for, joining SAR. Special student rates are offered for the conference registration fee and for joining the society.