The Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research (PCCR) is committed to excellence in CAM clinical research, including the responsibility to identify, train and develop new clinical scientists. The proposed Chiropractic Clinical Research Curriculum (CRC) addresses this goal in congruence with Goal 1 of Strategic Area 2 of the Strategic Plan developed by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), which is to "increase the number, quality and diversity of CAM investigators" to pursue research on the effectiveness and safety of CAM. In response to the Program Announcement for clinical research curriculum awards (K-30: CRCA), the specific aims of this project are to: 1) train selected chiropractors to become productive clinical investigators capable of competing successfully for extramural funding and advancing the mission of chiropractic and CAM-related research; and 2) to increase the chiropractic research workforce. A two-year didactic curriculum that assembles new and existing coursework, mentors, seminars, workshops and research expertise has been designed to provide post-doctoral fellows, faculty, residents, research trainees and others with the knowledge, initial experience and skills to a) select and apply appropriate study design and statistics, b) conduct clinical research according to professional and legal ethics, c) lead and manage a productive career in clinical research, d) acquire and maintain expertise in a research domain, e) communicate knowledge through verbal presentations, and f) write well-organized and effective journal publications, research proposals, and grant applications. The Chiropractic CRC will add an important new dimension to the existing training program at PCCR. The PCCR, a division of Palmer College of Chiropractic and a rapidly emerging CAM research center, is partnering with the University of Iowa College of Public Health to develop, implement and evaluate the Chiropractic CRC. The CRC program components include: Administration and Evaluation, Recruitment and Selection, Individualized Development Plan, Didactic Coursework, and the Research Environment. This significant collaboration between a CAM institution and a well-established research-oriented university will set the stage for future CAM and conventional clinical integration through the development of a cadre of clinical scientists with both CAM and standard research training.