A scientific research program that aims to improve understanding into the ways health consumers and practitioners use naturopathy and other complementary medicines is to be expanded with the support of
$1.5 million in funding from the Blackmore Foundation, BioCeuticals and the Jacka Foundation.
Funding will support two new research fellowships within the Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM) at the University of Technology Sydney, led by Distinguished Professor of Public Health and Australian Research Council Professorial Future Fellow, Jon Adams.
ARCCIM is a world-leading critical public health and health services research centre focusing on traditional, complementary and integrative health care that brings together experts in epidemiology and health economics. Its work has received substantial government research funding, including prestigious research fellowships from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Australian Research Council (ARC).
Life-long commitment
One half of the $1.5 million donation will come from Marcus Blackmore’s personal philanthropic trust, the Blackmore Foundation. Mr Blackmore, who recently became the first Australian to be inducted into the US Natural Products Hall of Legends says: “My commitment to naturopathy and natural health therapies has been life-long as has my passion for research into complementary medicines and, in particular, naturopathy. Australia is regarded as a world leader in this research, largely due to the work of centres like ARCCIM. I look forward to seeing the results of this ongoing research.”
Traditional, complementary and integrative health
“This new support will help us grow critical and rigorous, public health research into the opportunities and challenges of therapies like naturopathy,” adds Professor Adams. “It will help us answer important research questions such as the reasons people use naturopathy and other complementary medicines, how they make decisions about the medicines and the therapies they use and how practitioners such as naturopaths connect and communicate with mainstream hospital and primary care systems.”
A system under stress
These and other questions are important as we face major challenges that include an ageing population, chronic illness and a health system under stress says Eyal Wolstin, Managing Director of BioCeuticals. “The complementary and integrative medicine landscape involves an array of medicines and practitioners and the work of ARCCIM will help to build the broad evidence base needed to inform policy development this significant area of health care.”
Ongoing responsibility
Marcus Blackmore agrees: “Our involvement in this donation is a reflection of our unswerving and ongoing responsibility and obligation to finding the most efficacious and evidence-based approaches for practitioners and their patients. This research will be Australia-focused, national in scale and independent, since the centre will design and apply it as it sees fit.”
Professor Prasuna Reddy, Associate Dean, International and Advancement, UTS Faculty of Health, says: “This kind of industry support for independent scientific research enhances the ability of centres like ARCCIM to do pioneering work. It will help drive our understanding of what happens in the real world and help shape practice.”
Supporting Australian research centres
Health Minister Greg Hunt commended investment by individuals and companies into Australian health research saying: “People like Marcus Blackmore and the team at BioCeuticals are making a significant contribution through their funding of Australian research centres, giving us a better understanding of natural therapies.
“Medical research creates a pathway to better healthcare which ultimately benefits the entire community,” ends the Minister.
This new funding builds upon existing support from the three donors for the ARCCIM International Naturopathy Research Leadership Program, which mentors early career researchers from around the world.
The Blackmore Foundation is the private philanthropic trust of Marcus and Caroline Blackmore. Mr Blackmore is executive director of Blackmores, the natural health company that was founded by his father, Maurice – Queensland’s first naturopath. Today, Blackmores is Australia’s largest healthcare company.
BioCeuticals, a subsidiary of Blackmores Limited, is proudly Australian and renowned for manufacturing and delivering high quality integrative medicines to healthcare practitioners. BioCeuticals aims to consistently raise the standards of complementary therapies.