NCCIH Research Blog

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Annual Force-Based Manipulation Investigator Meeting is quickly approaching! The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), two components of NIH, have formed a consortium of researchers and practitioners from diverse disciplines to advance the study of the neural mechanisms of force-based manipulations. The goals of this consortium are to promote collaborations, fund pilot project activities, and build a community through dissemination activities. 

We hope that you will register to join us for the open session of the 2024 Annual Force-Based Manipulation Investigator Meeting on Friday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to noon ET. This virtual meeting is free, and everyone is welcome to attend. 

The meeting will highlight cross-cutting research on mechanosensation and mechanotherapies, featuring updates from the investigators of three funded research networks supporting force-based manipulation research efforts. This meeting aims to accomplish the following goals:

• To highlight research network progress to date.
• To discuss challenges faced by researchers working in this field and look ahead to new opportunities to advance the science of force-based manipulations. 

At the meeting:

• The keynote presentation will be delivered by Valeria Vásquez, Ph.D., from McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, on “Fine-Tuning Mechanosensitive Ion Channels: From Basic Science to Translational Research.” 
• The principal investigators of the three research networks will give individual network updates, including recent progress and accomplishments:
  • Drs. William Reed and Chad Cook will present on ForceNET.
  • Drs. Ellen Lumpkin and Gregory Gerling will present on the NeuronS_MATTR Network.
  • Drs. Beth Winkelstein and Victor Barocas will present on SPINEWORK.  
• Research network working group chairs will give updates about their recent progress in the following high-priority research areas regarding force-based manipulations:
  • Dr. Chad Cook will present “Terminology and Framework.”
  • Dr. Mary Barbe will present “Mechanisms.” 
  • Dr. Greg Kawchuk will present “Methodology and Technology.” 

It’s going to be a very exciting morning, particularly for investigators who are interested in new research opportunities and potential collaborations in the directions of mechanosensation, mechanotherapy, and other related force-based manipulations. We hope you’ll join us!

For More Information

• View agenda and register for 2024 Annual Force-Based Manipulation Investigator Meeting
• Neural Mechanisms of Force-Based Manipulations: High-Priority Research Networks