Registration for the 2012 practicum is now closed. Information about the 2013 practicum will be posted in January.

June 4–7, 2012
National Institutes of Health
Lister Hill Center Auditorium, Building 38A
(on NIH Main Campus in Bethesda, MD)

Overview

The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is offering a 4-day educational opportunity to provide fundamental knowledge of dietary supplements to faculty, students, and practitioners with a serious interest in this subject. This intensive practicum will provide a thorough overview and grounding about issues, concepts, unknowns, and controversies about dietary supplements and supplement ingredients. It will also emphasize the importance of scientific investigations to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and value of these products for health promotion and disease prevention as well as how to carry out this type of research.

Topics to be addressed include:

• supplement use in the United States and reasons for use;
• the regulatory framework governing supplements;
• differences in bringing foods, drugs, and supplements to market;
• supplement quality;
• assessing the health effects of foods and supplements; and
• developing policies and advice about supplement use based on science.

Participants will also meet with various stakeholders—the dietary supplement industry, consumer advocacy groups, and media—who study, advocate, regulate, or educate about dietary supplements. Participants will also have the option to take a guided tour of the NIH.

Eligibility

This practicum is open to selected faculty, students, and practitioners in health-related disciplines such as nutrition, food science, pharmacology and pharmacognosy, exercise/kinetics, medicine, dentistry, nursing, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Primary candidates are full-time academic faculty, doctoral students, postdocs, and fellows. Applications will also be accepted from health care providers and scientists with a masters degree or higher whose work involves dietary supplements, masters-level students, and students in schools of medicine and dentistry and nursing.

The practicum is limited to approximately 150 attendees so that we may provide a stellar environment for learning and interaction. We expect more than 150 applicants, so criteria have been developed for admission. See the page titled Application & Selection to learn who may apply, for application instructions, and selection criteria. Students may also apply for a travel award to attend.

Faculty

The faculty consists of experts from NIH, academic institutions, federal regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and practicing stakeholders.

Dates/Times/Location/Costs

The practicum will be held June 4 through June 7, 2012, (Monday through Thursday) at the Lister Hill Center Auditorium on the main NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Sessions will be held all day Monday through Wednesday, Monday evening, and Thursday morning. The optional session on Thursday afternoon will consist of a tour of NIH and a presentation on dietary supplement databases.

There is no cost to attend the practicum itself. However, room, board, and transportation expenses are the responsibility of each participant. A Metro (subway) stop is conveniently located on the NIH campus. Limited parking for personal autos is available as well.

For your convenience, Lister Hill has a full-service cafeteria open for breakfast and lunch.

Special note: Security on the NIH campus is very tight. All vehicles are inspected before entry onto the campus. All visitors must present picture identification (i.e., driver's license, passport, government or military identification) to enter the NIH Campus. Please allow plenty of time because inspection areas can be very congested early in the morning. The NIH website has more information regarding campus security procedures, entrance to the NIH campus, and parking.