ISCMR Scientific Prizes

21 September 2023

Researcher at NICM Health Research Institute have achieved a remarkable feat, securing the International Society for Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine Research (ISCMR) Scientific Article Prize in two consecutive years: 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. These back-to-back awards highlight the institute’s consistent and impactful contributions in the field of complementary and integrative medicine research. Both awards were announced during the opening ceremony of the 2023 World Congress of Integrative Medicine and Health,(opens in a new window) held in Rome, Italy.

“Having our researchers receive the ISCMR Scientific Article Prize for two consecutive years is a prestigious honour and reflects our commitment to advancing complementary and integrative medicine research,” said Professor Dennis Chang, Director, NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University.

“Our world-class researchers work diligently to contribute meaningful and impactful research to the scientific community.

“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to our researchers and contributing authors for their significant work, and equally appreciate the efforts of all global submissions to this competitive field.

“We are grateful for this acknowledgment and remain committed to research excellence, innovation, and improving global health outcomes,” he said.

ISCMR Scientific Article Prize Awardees:

• 2021-2022: Adjunct Associate Professor Jennifer Hunter for research conducted at NICM HRI and her international collaborative paper (opens in a new window) titled “Zinc for the prevention or treatment of acute viral respiratory tract infections in adults: a rapid systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials,” published in 2021 in BMJ Open.  Adjunct Associate Professor and her colleagues presented a rapid systematic review and meta-analysis that included 28 randomised controlled trials (RCTs), with a total of 5,446 adult participants. The research demonstrated that Zinc could prevent symptoms and reduce the duration of a community-acquired acute viral respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold and flu-like illnesses. However, there was no significant risk reduction when participants were purposely infected with human rhinovirus strains. While there was an increased risk of non-serious adverse events, the risk of serious adverse events was low. The findings build on previous systematic reviews highlighting the role of zinc for preventing and treating upper respiratory infections.

• 2020-2021: Dr Valentina Naumovski for research conducted at NICM HRI and her international collaborative paper, “Chromatographic, Chemometric and Antioxidant Assessment of the Equivalence of Granules and Herbal Materials of Angelicae sinensis Radix,” published in 2020 in Medicines(opens in a new window)(Basel). Dr Naumovski and her colleagues used analytical techniques to determine the differences of Angelicae Sinensis Radix products (Danggui in Chinese). The results showed that the contents of major compounds were generally higher in the herb/decoction pieces compared to the granule samples. The herb/decoction pieces group showed more consistent extraction yields and significantly higher antioxidant power which was shown to depend on the amount of ferulic acid. It was concluded that one marker compound for standardising products, as stated in many pharmacopoeias/monographs, was not sufficient to differentiate the products. The paper provides a platform for studying the quality of this popular herb. The paper was chosen based on its methodological quality and the potential impact of the findings. With the increased use of herbal medicinal granules, this study provides important information for standardisation committees, industry, practitioners and consumers on the quality control of herbs and their medicinal products.