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At SCU we conduct research on integrative healthcare (IHC). The integrative approach to healthcare considers the whole person: not just your physical condition, but your occupation and ability to work, genetics, economic situation, stressors, relationships, hobbies, and sense of connectedness. You are more than your symptoms!
We study the value of IHC in comparison with the symptom-based approach used in conventional medical care, which most often involves prescription drugs or surgery. We also study the value of integrative healthcare when it is used in conjunction with conventional medical care.
To assess the value of IHC, we examine its quality, safety, effectiveness, efficiency, and cost. We also assess the degree to which Integrative Healthcare is patient-centered – does the care really deliver what patients need and want, and is it aligned with their values and beliefs?
In our research studies, we also seek to answer questions about the delivery of IHC. Do insurance companies and public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid make IHC services accessible to patients?
We utilize a variety of approaches to accomplish our research goals, including patient surveys and focus groups, clinical trials, and analysis of “big data” from electronic medical records and health claims. In all of our research, we take great care to protect patient safety and confidentiality.
To view summaries of our research work at SCU, see “Current Research” or “Completed Research“.
Thank you for your interest in healthcare research at SCU!
Steffany Moonaz, PhD, C-IAYT
Director of Clinical and Health Services Research
Integrated Care for Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder: The IMPOWR Research Center at Montefiore/Einstein (IMPOWR-ME)
Funding: NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse
Purpose: Establish a multidisciplinary research center focused on treatments for people with both chronic pain and opioid use disorder
Spinal Manipulative Therapy vs. Prescription Drug Therapy for Care of Aged Medicare Beneficiaries with Neck Pain
Funding: National Institutes of Health
Purpose: To compare the safety, efficiency, and cost of two approaches to management of neck pain under Medicare.
Yoga and Strengthening Exercises for Knee Osteoarthritis
Funding: National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
Purpose: Conduct the first randomized comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness trial of a yoga program compared with a strengthening exercise program in patients with symptomatic knee OA
Published Works:
Yoga for Osteoarthritis of the Hip or Knee: A Cochrane Review
Funding: Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group
Purpose: To systematically evaluate the existing evidence for the effectiveness of yoga on pain and physical function for persons with hip or knee osteoarthritis.
Bridging the Research Gap Between Integrative Health Educational and Research Institutions
Funding: Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health, Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine
Purpose: A mixed-methods study to determine best practices in facilitating successful research collaborations between research-intensive and clinically focused complementary and integrative health universities.
Association between Cervical Spinal Manipulation and Cervical Artery Dissection in Older and Younger Medicare Populations
Funding: National Institutes of Health
Key Findings: Among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older who received cervical spine manipulation (CSM), the association with cervical artery dissection (CeAD) is no greater than that among the control groups, and CSM does not appear to be a significant risk factor for CeAD in this population group.
Published Works:
Development of CLARIFY Yoga Research Reporting Guidelines
Funding: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health
Purpose: To conduct a Delphi survey of yoga research experts and develop a preliminary guideline to improve the transparency of peer-reviewed yoga research literature.
Published Works:
Yoga as Adjunctive Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Pilot Study
Funding: iRest Institute
Purpose: To analyze data and publish the foundational research for iRest yoga nidra for PTSD which has supported the widespread integration of iRest into both active military and veteran settings across the US.
Published Works:
Spinal Manipulation Services vs. Prescription Drug Therapy for Long-term Care of Aged Medicare Beneficiaries with Chronic Low Back Pain
Funding: National Institutes of Health
Key Findings: Among Medicare beneficiaries with chronic low back pain, as compared with opioid analgesic therapy, treatment with spinal manipulative therapy is associated with less escalation of care, lower risk of adverse drug events, lower overall costs, and greater satisfaction with care.
Published Works:
Expenditures for Chiropractic Services
Funding: Fulcrum Health, Inc.
Key Findings: For patients with acute or subacute low back pain, utilization of a clinical model characterized by a patient-centered clinic approach and standardized, best-practice clinical protocols may offer lower cost when compared to non-standardized clinical approaches to chiropractic care.
Published Works:
Group Acupuncture Therapy with Modified Yoga for chronic neck, low back and OA pain in safety net setting for an underserved population (GAPYOGA)
Funding: Blavatnik Family Foundation
Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of combining group acupuncture and yoga therapy in hospital-based clinics for underserved chronic pain patient populations.
Published Works:
Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Well-being Partnership – Engaging Teachers in Mind-Body Techniques for Well-Being
Funding: Mental Insight Foundation
Purpose: To implement and evaluate a multi-modality mind-body stress management program for faculty and staff at an urban, underserved, and predominantly African American high school in Baltimore.
Association between Utilization of Chiropractic Services and Use of Prescription Opioid Analgesics among Medicare Beneficiaries with Chronic Low Back Pain
Funding: The Anton B. Burg Foundation
Key Findings: Among older Medicare beneficiaries with spinal pain, the risk of filling an opioid prescription within 365 days of initial visit was 56% lower among recipients of chiropractic care as compared to non-recipients.
Published Works:
Impact of Chiropractic Care on Use of High-Risk Drugs and Risk of Adverse Drug Events
Funding: Council on Chiropractic Guidelines & Practice Parameters
Key Findings: Patients with spinal pain who saw a chiropractor had half the risk of filling an opioid prescription. Among those who saw a chiropractor within 30 days of diagnosis, the reduction in risk was greater as compared with those with their first visit after the acute phase. In New Hampshire, among adults with low back pain, the adjusted likelihood of an adverse drug event was significantly lower for recipients of chiropractic services as compared to nonrecipients.
Published Works:
Primary Spine Clinician
Funding: NCMIC Foundation
Key Findings: Patients who received Primary Spine Care (PSC) experienced significantly less escalation of care within 6 months of their initial visit. The PSC model may offer a more efficient approach to the primary care of spine problems, as compared to usual primary care.
Published Works:
Another Look at the Budget Neutrality of the Medicare Chiropractic Services Demonstration
Funding: NCMIC Foundation
Key Findings: Medicare might reduce the risk of accelerated costs associated with the introduction of expanded chiropractic coverage by applying appropriate limits to the frequency of use and overall costs of those benefits.
Published Works:
Pilot Study of Yoga as Self-Care for Underrepresented Communities
Funding: Nursing Research and Translational Services
Purpose: To determine the feasibility and acceptability of providing yoga to an urban, underrepresented population with arthritis.
Published Works:
Utilization and Safety of Chiropractic Care in Older Adults
Funding: National Institutes of Health
Key Findings: Under Medicare, geographic variation in the utilization of chiropractic care is highly correlated with the supply of chiropractors. For Medicare patients who received chiropractic care, the risk of stroke or injury to the head, neck or trunk was no greater than those who received conventional primary care.
Published Works:
Southern California University of Health Sciences is committed to promoting quality research by adhering to the required standards of integrity in proposing, conducting, and reporting research. The policies instated by SCU represent our commitment to nurture a culture of compliance with federal laws and regulations, honesty, and responsibility within our research community with the scope to achieve a high level of ethical and legal standards of conduct in research.
This section provides information to ensure that all SCU faculty, staff and students engaged in research related activities are aware of and comply with all applicable policies and procedures of the University, and extramural funding agencies, to meet their obligations and responsibilities.
Southern California University of Health Sciences is committed to promoting objectivity in research and teaching. The purpose of this policy is to ensure there is no reasonable expectation that the design, conduct, or reporting of research or other projects funded by external sponsors will be biased by any conflicting financial interest. The policy establishes a written and enforced administrative process to identify and to manage, reduce or eliminate conflicting interests with respect to all externally sponsored projects. The policy also supports Southern California University of Health Sciences’ institutional compliance with the Public Health Service regulations (42 CFR Part 50, Subpart F1) and the provisions of the National Institutes of Health.
In accordance with 42CFR Part §93, it is the policy of Southern California University of Health Sciences to have an established administrative process for reviewing, investigating, and reporting allegations of misconduct in science in connection with PHS-sponsored biomedical and behavioral research. SCU requires all faculty and staff engaged in research related activities to complete biomedical or behavioral research trainings as part of their shared responsibility for the integrity of the research process. The goal of this policy is to provide a framework to resolve allegations of research misconduct as fairly and rapidly as possible and to protect the rights and integrity of all individuals involved.
Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) is committed to collecting, handling, storing, accessing, and using research data properly and securely. This policy establishes the responsibilities of all users in supporting and protecting the research data at SCU regardless of user’s affiliation or relation with SCU, and irrespective of where the data are located, utilized, or accessed. All members of the SCU research community have a responsibility to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of research data.
The SCU IRB oversees the evaluation, endorsement, and supervision of biomedical and behavioral studies that involve human participants at SCU, with the goal of safeguarding the well-being and rights of those involved. It assesses the risk-to-benefit ratio of research projects conducted by SCU faculty, staff, or students that involve human subjects, and confirms that research proposals comply with state laws, local policies, and federally mandated criteria for approval.
The following training courses are required for all faculty and students engaged in research at Southern California University for Health Sciences. To create your account, follow the steps listed in the Demo Instructions for New CITI Program Accounts.
