December 1, 2010

About This Meeting

The IAYT Symposium on Yoga Research (SYR) is a historic meeting presented by the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) and the Kripalu Institute for Extraordinary Living (IEL) and hosted by the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health.  This will be only the second comprehensive and widely publicized academic research meeting in the West devoted to Yoga therapy research; the first conference in the fall of 2010 attracted almost 200 registrants and sold out early. 

This single track academic research conference will include both oral and poster presentations by leading Yoga research scientists and will provide ample opportunities to interact and dialogue with active Yoga researchers.  A comprehensive preconference workshop on the basics of Yoga research offers a unique opportunity for research trainees, Yoga instructors, and therapists to learn the basics of Yoga research, establish connections for possible future research projects and meet professional researchers and colleagues.

Keynote speakers:

• Luciano Bernardi, MD, Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Pavia, Italy. 
• BN Gangadhar, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India.
• Lonnie Zeltzer, MD, Director of the Pediatric Pain Program at Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA and Professor of Pediatrics, Anesthesiology, and Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine; and Medical Director of Trinity KidsCare Pediatric Hospice. 

Invited speakers:

• James W. Carson, PhD, Assistant Professor at Oregon Health and Science University. 
• Debbie Cohen-Stein, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
• Gail Greendale, MD, Professor of Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Research Director, UCLA Women's Health Center and Research Director. 
• Kim Innes, MSPH, PhD, Assistant Professor at the Department of Community Medicine at the West Virginia University School of Medicine. 
• Sara Lazar, PhD, Instructor in Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and a Kripalu IEL research faculty. 
• Robert Saper, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, and Director of Integrative Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.
• Karen Sherman, PhD, MPH, Senior Scientific Investigator, Center for Health Studies, Group Health Cooperative, Seattle.
  
  

Yoga Research 101, a preconference workshop, offers a unique opportunity for Yoga therapists, Yoga instructors and new investigators to learn the basics of Yoga research, helping to make this event an extraordinary forum for learning about Yoga research, establishing connections for possible future research projects, and meeting professional researchers and colleagues. 

Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting the art and science of Yoga to produce thriving and health in individuals and society. For more than 30 years, Kripalu Center has been teaching skills for optimal living through experiential education for the whole person: body, mind, and spirit. While you are at Kripalu, you'll enjoy daily Yoga classes, natural-foods cuisine, massage and healing arts, hiking trails, whirlpool and sauna, interesting people, and extraordinary views—all in the natural beauty of the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.

Important dates:

• Conference registration opens: May, 2011
• Call for Poster Abstracts opens: May, 2011

• Abstract submission deadline: June 15, 2011

• Acceptance notification: August 3, 2011

The Scientific Program Committee and Pre-Conference Workshop Presenters: 

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• Clare Collins, RN, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Michigan State University
• Lisa Conboy, ScD, Instructor in General Medicine, Osher Research Institute, Harvard Medical School.
• Susan Gould-Fogerite, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
• Sat Bir Khalsa, PhD, Chair,   Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School at Brigham and Womens' Hospital.

Conference Organizers:

• Stephen Cope, Director, IEL
• John Kepner, Executive Director, IAYT

Note:
All accepted abstracts for SYR 2010 were published as a supplement to the International Journal of Yoga Therapy. They are available on IAYT's electronic journal hosting site at MetaPress. Access is free to IAYT members after logging into the IAYT site. Access is available at reasonable fees to non-members.