Bastyr University is pleased to announce it is the recent recipient, along with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, of a $3.1 million grant for the study of complementary and integrative care for breast cancer. The grant, awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), will officially fund a project entitled "Breast Cancer Integrative Oncology: Prospective Matched Controlled Outcomes Study."
The five-year award will allow clinical investigators in the Bastyr University Research Institute and the Hutchinson Center to undertake a rigorous outcomes-based research study. Investigators will track clinical outcomes for participants with breast cancer who, in addition to standard conventional care, receive integrative care at the Bastyr Integrative Oncology Research Center (BIORC). Those outcomes will then be compared with outcomes for participants with breast cancer who do not receive integrative care along with conventional care.
"This NIH-funded grant and our research partnership with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center will enable us to conduct groundbreaking research that will ultimately impact the future of cancer care on a global level." said Leanna Standish, ND, PhD, LAc, FABNO, medical director of BIORC.
The Bastyr Integrative Oncology Research Center, which opened in February 2009 on Bastyr University's campus in Kenmore, Washington, was founded to improve the quality of life of individuals living with cancer, reduce the risk of cancer recurrence, and track the effectiveness of complementary, alternative and integrative therapies in treating the disease. The founding of BIORC was made possible through a generous donation from Budge Brown and Lorraine Masterson of Cleavage Creek Cellars.
As an outpatient integrative oncology center, BIORC offers research participants an integrated approach to managing their care by providing comprehensive support for each stage of the participant's experience, from diagnosis to treatment decisions and restoration of immune function and health after completion of standard treatments. Research participants can receive care from licensed naturopathic physicians, a nutritionist, an acupuncturist, and mind/body/energy medicine specialists, all of whom have advanced oncology training.
"Complementary and alternative approaches to cancer are of vital interest to a great many cancer patients," said M. Robyn Andersen, PhD, associate member of the Public Health Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center. "With this joint project we’ll be able to learn much about the effectiveness of integrative care, so that in the future we can provide patients with solid data on which to base decisions about what to include in their treatment."
About Bastyr University
Bastyr University, located near Seattle, Washington, is internationally recognized as a pioneer in natural medicine. As the largest accredited university for natural health arts and sciences in the U.S., Bastyr offers more than 17 degree and certificate programs in fields such as naturopathic medicine, acupuncture & Oriental medicine, and whole-food nutrition. Founded in 1978, the University now includes a leading-edge research facility (the Bastyr University Research Institute) and outstanding clinical training at Bastyr Center for Natural Health. The University’s second campus, Bastyr University California, opened in San Diego, California, in fall 2012, becoming the state’s first and only accredited school of naturopathic medicine.