ACCAHC Nominee Rick Marinelli, ND, LAc Appointed

 In Naturopathic News

ACCAHC Nominee Rick Marinelli, ND, LAc Appointed to
Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee
on Advancing Pain Research, Care, and Education

All appointees noted here:
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/CommitteeView.aspx?key=49286

Contact: John Weeks 206-932-5799 (o), 206-851-1758 (c); [email protected]

November 16, 2010

[protected]Rick Marinelli, ND, LAc, a clinician and pain expert who practices in Beaverton, Oregon has been appointed to the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Committee on Advancing Pain Research, Care, and Education . Marinelli was nominated for the position by the Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care (ACCAHC – www.accahc.org ).

Marinelli’s appointment is the first of a naturopathic physician (ND) to any IOM committee and the first of a licensed practitioner of acupuncture and Oriental medicine (LAc) to a project not specifically focused on complementary medicine.

The IOM project is a consensus study to “address the current state of the science with respect to pain research, care, and education, and to explore approaches to advance the field.” The wide-ranging project will include quantifying the health significance of pain, identifying barriers to appropriate treatment, examining the importance of individualized approaches, removing barriers that may exist for key populations and exploring interdisciplinary research approaches.

Marinelli is a widely-recognized clinical expert in pain treatment. He is the immediate past-president of the American Academy of Pain Management and is a current Commissioner for the Oregon Pain Management Commission and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Advisory Commission. He is also the immediate past chair of the Oregon Board of Naturopathic Medicine. Marinelli participates with the Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care as an External Affairs Representative.

Marinelli called the appointment a “great honor and responsibility” that he looks forward to engaging. The IOM Committee is on a fast track with a first meeting scheduled for late November and subsequent meetings roughly monthly through at least March. The report is scheduled for delivery to Congress mid-2011. Said Marinelli: “I anticipate using the network of researchers and educators in ACCAHC as a resource, when appropriate, to provide the Committee optimal input from the complementary and alternative medicine community.”

ACCAHC Chair Elizabeth Goldblatt, PhD, MPA/HA credited the IOM for the appointment of Marinelli: “Millions of consumers with pain conditions turn to licensed practitioners of acupuncture and Oriental medicine, massage therapy, chiropractic medicine, naturopathic medicine and other complementary healthcare treatments to help relieve their pain. For many pain conditions, treatments by members of these fields can be very effective. We are pleased with the IOM’s responsiveness to the choices made daily by US citizens represented by this appointment of Dr. Marinelli.”

Goldblatt adds: “Dr. Marinelli’s dual degrees in naturopathic and traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, his training in manipulative and mind-body therapies, and his experience with both conventional and complementary medical pain strategies make him an ideal member of this IOM Committee.” In Oregon, naturopathic physicians have broad prescriptive authority that includes conventional pharmaceuticals used in pain management.

The IOM appointment is the second IOM project for which an ACCAHC nominee was selected to provide perspectives of the natural health and integrative practice disciplines. The first was in 2008 when Goldblatt was appointed to the planning committee of the IOM Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public, held February 27-29, 2009. Marinelli is 1 of 6 professionals whose names ACCAHC provided the IOM planners for the present project.

About Rick Marinelli, ND, LAc Marinelli is a naturopathic physician and acupuncturist at the Natural Medicine Clinic in Portland, Oregon. His practice over nearly 30 years has spanned many specialties. Marinelli has been active in community and professional service. He is immediate Past-President of the American Academy of Pain Management, a Commissioner of the Oregon Pain Management Commission and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Advisory Commission, immediate past Chair of the Oregon Board of Naturopathic Medicine, and founding Vice-President of the Naturopathic Academy of Therapeutic Injection, among others. He completed his naturopathic training at the National College of Natural Medicine (1982) and training in acupuncture and Oriental medicine at Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (1987). Marinelli participates with the Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care as an External Affairs Representative.

Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences The mission of the IOM is to serve as the nation’s advisor to improve health. Information on the IOM project on Advancing Pain Research, Care and Education is available here: http://www.iom.edu/Activities/PublicHealth/PainResearch.aspx .

About the Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care (ACCAHC): ACCAHC is a 501c3 organization the mission of which is to enhance patient care through fostering mutual respect and understanding among diverse healthcare professionals and disciplines. ACCAHC’s work is funded 2/3 through philanthropic contributions and publication, with the remaining third from dues of core members: councils of colleges, accrediting agencies and certification and texting organizations from the 5 complementary healthcare professions with a US Department of Education-recognized accrediting body (DC, ND, AOM, massage therapy, direct-entry midwifery) plus some traditional world medicines and emerging professions that are engaging self-regulatory actions (Yoga therapy, Ayurvedic medicine, yoga teaching, homeopathic medicine). www.accahc.org[/protected] ______________________

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