Coalition Events
This page provides information about upcoming and previous events hosted by the Coalition for Whole Person Health Research for its members.
September 15, 2026
Coalition for Whole Person Health Research Convening
Onsite at NIH Campus
The Coalition for Whole Person Health Research Convening brought together Coalition member organizations, National Institutes of Health (NIH) leadership, researchers, and key stakeholders to advance collaboration and dialogue around whole person health research. Below you will find the agenda and materials from the meeting.
8:00–9:00 AM
Registration, Getting Settled, Coffee & Breakfast Snacks (A&B)
Breakfast provided by the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health and The Institute for Functional Medicine
Morning Program
Open to Coalition Members & NIH representatives
The morning program was recorded. Click the blue button to watch the recording on YouTube and find the PDF presentation materials further below for each presentation:
9:00–9:05 AM
Coalition Co-Chair Opening Remarks
Amy R. Mack, MSES, MPA | Coalition Co-Chair, IFM CEO
Samantha Simmons, MPH | Coalition Co-Chair, ACIMH CEO
9:05–10:05 AM
NCCIH Director Remarks
Wendy Weber, ND, PhD, MPH | Director, NCCIH
10:05–11:30 AM
Whole Person Health Research Project Updates
Whole Person Health Physiome
Emrin Horgusluoglu, PhD | Program Director, Basic and Mechanistic Research in Complementary and Integrative Health Branch, NCCIH
Whole Person Health Index
Mark Pitcher, PhD | Chief of Staff, NCCIH
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
Stephen Blumberg, PhD | Director, Division of Health Interview Statistics, CDC
11:45 AM–12:30 PM
NCCIH Panel & Q&A with Coalition Members
Facilitated by Coalition Co-Chairs
Panelists
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Wendy Weber, ND, PhD, MPH | Director, NCCIH
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David Shurtleff, PhD | Deputy Director & Acting Scientific Advisor, NCCIH
12:30–1:30 PM
Lunch
Afternoon Program
Open to Coalition Members
This session was not recorded; please find the afternoon program presentation slides by clicking the PDF link below:
1:30–1:50 PM
Coalition Co-Chairs Opening Remarks
1:50–2:50 PM
Coalition Connection Time
Participants introduce themselves and describe the importance of NCCIH in their work.
2:50–3:00 PM
Afternoon Break
3:00–4:45 PM
Workshop: Understanding the NIH Budget Process and Supporting NCCIH’s Efforts
Terri Roberts, JD, RN | Coalition Steering Committee Member
Mina M. Larson, MS, MBA, CAE | CEO, National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (NCBAHM®)
4:45–5:00 PM
Coalition Co-Chairs Closing Remarks
January 27, 2026
Coalition for Whole Person Health Research Webinar
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
The Coalition for Whole Person Health Research hosted a webinar on January 27, 2026, for its members. Coalition Co-Chairs, Amy R. Mack, MSES/MPA, and Samantha Simmons, MPH, are joined by Dr. David Shurtleff, PhD, NCCIH Acting Director who shares updates about the research, work and focus areas of NCCIH in 2026. Below you will find the agenda, YouTube recording of the webinar, and PDF presentation materials.
Agenda
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Welcome & Opening Remarks – Amy R. Mack, MSES, MPA, Coalition Co-Chair
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NCCIH Updates – David Shurtleff, PhD, NCCIH Acting Director
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Q&A with Dr. Shurtleff facilitated by Coalition Co-Chairs
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Closing Remarks – Samantha Simmons, MPH, Coalition Co-Chair
November 1, 2024
NCCIH: Coalition for Whole Person Research Outreach and Education Day
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), held its first NCCIH Coalition for Whole Person Research Outreach and Education Day on Friday, November 1, 2024. This was an opportunity for Coalition members to hear from NCCIH senior leadership and other NIH staff about whole person research at NIH.
Meeting Summary
Agenda
9:00–9:05 a.m.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
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Mary Beth Kester, MS, Director at Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation at NCCIH NIH
9:05–10:00 a.m.
NCCIH Leadership in Whole Person Health
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Helene M. Langevin, MD, Director at NCCIH, NIH
10:00–10:30 a.m.
Research Across Complementary and Integrative Health Institutions (REACH) Centers
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Lanay M. Mudd, PhD, Deputy Branch Chief and Program Director at Clinical Research in Complementary and Integrative Health Branch, Division of Extramural Research, NCCIH, NIH
11:00–11:15 a.m.
NIH Whole Person Initiative
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Elizabeth Ginexi, PhD, Program Director at Clinical Research in Complementary and Integrative Health Branch, Division of Extramural Research, NCCIH, NIH
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Emrin Horgusluoglu, PhD, Program Director at Basic and Mechanistic Research in Complementary and Integrative Health Branch and Division of Extramural Research, NCCIH, NIH
11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Partnerships in Whole Person Health Research
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Grace C. Y. Peng, PhD, Program Director at Division of Discovery Science and Technology (Bioengineering), National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH
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Jeffrey D. White, MD, Director at Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, NIH
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Stephen J. Blumberg, PhD, Director and Division of Health Interview Statistics at National Center for Health Statistics and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Moderator: Benjamin Kligler, MD, MPH, National Director at Integrative Health Coordinating Center and Veterans Health Administration
12:15–1:30 p.m.
Lunch
1:30–2:00 p.m.
Introduction of Coalition Member Organizations
2:00–2:10 p.m.
What Is the Role of the Coalition?
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Samantha Simmons, MPH, Co-Chair of Coalition for Whole Person Health; CEO, Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health
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Tabitha C. Barth, Chief of Staff, Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) on behalf of Amy R. Mack, MSES, MPA, Co-Chair of Coalition for Whole Person Health and CEO at IFM
2:10–2:55 p.m.
Breakout Groups
3:00–4:00 p.m.
Report Out From the Breakout Groups and Discussion
4:00 p.m.–4:20 p.m.
What’s Next?
4:20 pm–4:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Questions?
Contact Us
If you have questions about the in-person meeting or other Coalition efforts, please reach out to our team at coalitionforwholepersonhealth@gmail.com.