Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine

Dr Hope Foley

Dr Hope Foley, a Research Fellow in the School, is leading an ARCCIM project to design a Traditional Knowledge Framework - a tool designed to bridge modern evidence-based practice with the value of traditional knowledge sources drawn from TCIM. 

The Framework will support healthcare practitioners, researchers, educators and policymakers to critique and use traditional sources of TCIM knowledge in appropriate ways. 

The Framework is intended to facilitate better integration of traditional evidence into health care and self-care for the benefit of communities. 

The project has been undertaken with an innovative, collaborative approach, in partnership with the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine, and with the participation of a diverse range of key expert stakeholders across the fields of TCIM and various healthcare contexts.

Associate Professor Amie Steel

Associate Professor Amie Steel, Co-Director of ARCCIM, currently holds a prestigious ARC Future Fellowship with a core focus on the role and contribution of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) primary care practitioners in supporting preventive health and self-care in the Australian population. 

Across her wider research program, Amie collaborates through national and international networks to better understand traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) use and to translate TCIM evidence into policy and practice. 

Recently, she led a health technology assessment of naturopathy on behalf of the World Naturopathic Federation. The resulting report was launched at Parliament House in Canberra in November 2022 and has been shared with health ministers in over 70 countries and the TCIM office of the World Health Organisation.