magnolia The Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies (CSCAT) at the University of Virginia was established in 1993 as one of the original NIH-funded centers to stimulate research in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The research focus in the CSCAT has been primarily on investigating CAM-related modalities that show potential for disease prevention and symptom reduction in chronic diseases, as well as the study of basic physiological mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of selected CAM modalities, including yoga, mindfulness, and meditation. A large feasibility study in 2010 to 2011 used functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore changes in brain pain processing regions with a CAM intervention in a sample of participants with fibromyalgia. It has sponsored a long list of articles and grants shown elsewhere on this web site.

The CSCAT promotes information exchange through seminars, generates new research ideas, and fosters interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaboration among students, trainees, and faculty in four major schools within the University of Virginia (Schools of  Nursing, Medicine [particularly the Neuroscience Department], Engineering and Applied Science's Department of Biomedical Engineering, and the  Curry School of Education). The CSCAT provides superb facilities at the University of Virginia where CAM research is carried out and research training provided for both predoctoral trainees and postdoctoral fellows.

While existing methods of treatment for many chronic diseases are being refined, a variety of new complementary practices and products are being developed that require rigorous scientific and clinical testing. Safe, efficacious, and cost effective therapies to complement current treatments for those who suffer from painful and stress-related conditions have the potential to represent a major breakthrough in the care of these persons.

Additional information about CSCAT and its activities may be obtained from the Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies, University of Virginia Health System, P. O. Box 800782, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0782, phone (434) 924-0113; Fax: (434) 243-9938; email: cscat@virginia.edu.