Australian Research Consortium in Complementary and Integrative Medicine

ARCCIM Update: New Institutional Home

We’re pleased to share that the Australian Research Consortium in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM) will be relocating to a new institutional home at Southern Cross University.
While our location is changing, what matters most stays the same. ARCCIM’s research program, leadership, and strategic direction will continue unchanged, ensuring continuity in our commitment to high‑quality, impactful research and capacity building in traditional, complementary and integrative medicine.

At Southern Cross University, ARCCIM will be housed within the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM). This move creates exciting opportunities for enhanced collaboration, innovation, and translation across research, education, and practice. In fact, several of ARCCIM’s past members and collaborators are now based at NCNM—making this something of a reunion in a new home.

We’re excited about this next chapter and look forward to continuing our work to advance the public health contribution of complementary and integrative healthcare.

Osteopaths — we want to hear from you 👇

Are you a registered Osteopath practicing in Australia and over 18? If so, we invite you to take part in new research. If you’re in practice, your experience matters!
How do you integrate preventive care in practice?
Share your experience in our Preventive Care in Practice (PCiP) Survey – Phase 1 and help inform how preventive care is applied in osteopathic practice.

This online survey explores how Osteopaths approach health promotion with patients – whether or not you routinely include it.

🔒 Anonymous
⏱ 20–40 mins
✔ Ethics approved

👉 Take the survey:
https://utsau.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7Op6yd4ovG32ByC

Please share with colleagues.

📋Optional: opportunity to register your interest for PCiP Logbooks – Phase 2

This study has been approved as low risk research by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) ETH25-11601. Participation is voluntary, anonymous, and no identifying information is collected for the survey.

Research alert!

Acupuncturists — we want to hear from you 👇

Are you a registered Acupuncturist practicing in Australia and over 18? If so, we invite you to take part in new research. If you’re in practice, your experience matters!
How do you integrate preventive care in practice?
Share your experience in our Preventive Care in Practice (PCiP) Survey – Phase 1 and help strengthen approaches to prevention and wellbeing in Acupuncture practice.

This online survey explores how Acupuncturists approach health promotion with patients – whether or not you routinely include it.

🔒 Anonymous
⏱ 20–40 mins
✔ Ethics approved

👉 Take the survey:
https://utsau.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9XBHLlbxIRdvHKe

Please share with colleagues.

📋Optional: opportunity to register your interest for PCiP Logbooks – Phase 2

This study has been approved as low risk research by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) ETH25-11601. Participation is voluntary, anonymous, and no identifying information is collected for the survey.

Naturopaths — we want to hear from you 👇

Are you a Naturopath practicing in Australia and over 18? If so, we invite you to take part in new research. If you’re in practice, your experience matters!

*How do you integrate preventive care in practice?*
Share your experience in our Preventive Care in Practice (PCiP) Survey – Phase 1 and help shape the future of your profession.

This online survey explores how Naturopaths approach health promotion with patients – whether or not you routinely include it.

🔒 Anonymous
⏱ 20–40 mins
✔ Ethics approved

👉 Take the survey:
https://utsau.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8e63SXuhbzzN3oy

Please share with colleagues!

📋Optional: opportunity to register your interest for PCiP Logbooks – Phase 2

This study has been approved as low risk research by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) ETH25-11601. Participation is voluntary, anonymous, and no identifying information is collected for the survey.

🌿 New Research from ARCCIM!

We’re excited to share our latest publication in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice:

📄 The Practitioner Research and Collaboration Initiative (PRACI): Updated characteristics of the world’s largest complementary medicine practice-based research network
🔗 Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2025.102021

PRACI continues to grow as a world-leading research infrastructure, now representing 922 practitioners across nine complementary medicine professions—including acupuncture, naturopathy, massage therapy, Bowen therapy, kinesiology, and more.

This updated profile of PRACI members provides valuable insights into the CM workforce and strengthens our ability to support real-world, practice-informed research that addresses national health priorities.

👏 Congratulations to the research team: Amie Steel, Ben Lee, Tristan Carter, Hope Foley, and Jon Adams.

🙏 Special thanks to the Bowen Therapists Federation of Australia and the Australian Kinesiology Association for supporting this work.

🎉 Celebrating the Final Retreat of the SOLAR Program – A Global Milestone in Osteopathy Research Leadership 🌍

After four transformative years, the SOLAR – Strengthening Osteopathic Leadership and Research program has concluded with its final retreat in beautiful Bali.

This international initiative, supported by osteopathy associations across Australia, the UK, France, Sweden, and New Zealand, has:

✅ Produced 49 published manuscripts
✅ Delivered 50 conference presentations
✅ Secured £1.1M in research funding
✅ Built a global network of collaborators and friends

But SOLAR is more than numbers. It’s a community. A movement. A space where emerging leaders in osteopathy research found mentorship, connection, and purpose.

💬 Fellows described the program as “an accelerator in my professional journey” and “a group that is kind, strong, and productive.”

As mentors, we are proud to have witnessed the growth of these Fellows into confident leaders who will shape the future of osteopathy.

🌊 The journey continues with CORaL – Centre for Osteopathic Research and Leadership, hosted by Health Sciences University in London.

📖 Learn more about the program’s impact in our recent publication:
🔗 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijosm.2025.100755



Osteopathy Australia National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine Health Sciences University

🌍 ARCCIM is delighted to announce that Dr Amie Steel, our Co-Director, has been invited to speak at the World Health Summit 2025 in Berlin this October.

Under the theme “Taking Responsibility for Health in a Fragmenting World,” the Summit brings together global leaders to address pressing challenges in global health.

Dr Steel will speak on Monday, October 13, in a session titled:
“Integrative Medicine in Global Health: Pathways for Implementation”
The session will explore key approaches, collaborative models, and practical solutions for integrating traditional and complementary medicine across diverse health systems.

This is a wonderful opportunity to share ARCCIM’s work and contribute to a global dialogue on inclusive, person-centred health systems that recognise diverse practices and knowledge traditions.

🔗 Learn more: worldhealthsummit.org

🌟 New Research Published! 🌟

We are thrilled to share our latest article in BMC Health Services Research:

📝 "Health professionals’ beliefs and attitudes towards preconception care: a systematic review"

Cherie Caut, Danielle Schoenaker, Erica McIntyre, and Amie Steel explored how health professionals perceive preconception care and the barriers that continue to hinder its implementation—even after years of guideline development.

💡 Key takeaway: There’s an urgent need for better education, resources, and system-level support to make preconception care a routine part of healthcare.

📖 Read the full article here:
👉 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12913-025-13246-y

Let’s keep the conversation going about improving maternal and child health outcomes through effective preconception care. 💬

🌍 ARCCIM in Brazil for WHO Traditional Medicine Consultation 🇧🇷

This week, ARCCIM Co-Directors D/Prof Jon Adams and A/Prof Amie Steel were honoured to travel to São Paulo to facilitate the Region of the Americas’ expert consultation as part of the World Health Organization’s Traditional Medicine Research Priority Setting Exercise.

Over two days, traditional healers, policy makers, research leaders, and other experts came together to share their insights and experiences. These valuable contributions will help shape WHO's global research roadmap for Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM).

We’re incredibly grateful to support this important WHO initiative and to help guide such meaningful conversations across diverse communities. 🌿

Two more regional consultations to go — each one revealing both the unique strengths and shared challenges of TCIM around the world. 🌐