The capstone research project, which is an integral requirement of the Yo San University DAOM Program, is crafted to fulfill two fundamental criteria. The project must represent original research, and further it must have the potential to make a contribution to the literature of the discipline of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are valued and encouraged. The entire capstone project model is one that his highly individualized to assist each candidate in fulfilling her own research aspirations in relation to the program specialty area.
The seeds for the capstone research projects were sewn early in the DAOM program through a series of three carefully planned research methods courses that introduced the TCM practitioners to the language and processes of research. By the end of the third research course, candidates are expected to have identified their topics, achieved fluency in a wide range of research methodologies with the development of focused expertise in the method chosen for their own research. Moreover at that point each candidate is expected to have developed a good first draft of the first three chapters of the dissertation—Introduction, method and literature review. With the help of the greatly expanded services and resources of the YSU Library, DAOM candidates had access to an abundance of full text data bases of journal articles and monographs pertinent to their topics. Each article was critically examined and considered in terms of its contribution to the research objective. The articles where then organized and articulated to constitute the all important literature review chapter, the pivotal component of the project that establishes the scholarly foundation for the project.
Carrying out the project as per the established research objectives and research questions and as approved by the Yo San University Institutional Review Board (IRB) initially appeared to be a monumental and daunting task. However, all twelve candidates engaged the research process with energy and enthusiasm. As they emerged from the proposal approval stage each candidate was assigned a project advisor who provided guidance, recommendations and encouragement for delving deeper into the literature, collecting more data, appropriately analyzing the resulting data and discussing the implications of the findings. The advisors also worked closely with each candidate in the process of refining chapter drafts, organizing support tables, detailing reference lists and assembling essential appendices. In addition to the project advisor each candidate had access to highly skilled consultants regarding research method, TCM Theory, Western Medicine theory and statistical analysis. The candidates reluctantly accepted the process of presenting draft upon draft to the advisor, with each draft emerging with more coherence, clarity as well as with more precision in the format presentation of the project.
When the defense day arrived, each candidate presented with confidence and poise. And confident behavior is to be expected. After all, the DAOM candidates are the experts regarding their own research topics. Subsequent to the presentation the doctoral committee faculty evaluators each asked a series of questions providing the candidate the opportunity to think on her feet and to demonstrate knowledge of all aspects of the project topic. The faculty evaluators for all three mini-conference sessions were Dr. Meredith Chunyi Qian, a YSU MATCM and DAOM faculty member, Marc Kalan, M.D., a well known Los Angeles reproductive endocrinologist and DAOM Faculty member. In addition to the faculty reviewers, each project was assigned a peer reviewer who also posed questions. Additionally, all of the presentations generated considerable discussion from the audience. The sessions constituted a true academic forum with lively exchange, debate and critical analysis. At the culmination of the final session the DAOM candidates were congratulated by the DAOM Program Director, Dr. Carola Gehrke, and each was presented with a bouquet of fresh flowers, an appropriate symbol of the success of a once in a lifetime task of monumental proportions.
When they entered the program two years ago, for most of the DAOM candidates, the concept of research was a topic of low interest. At the culmination of the program it was obvious that the research process was a most rewarding task, and one that will richly enhance the careers of the new doctors, careers that will include practice, teaching and hopefully the generation of more research.
The names of the Cohort #1 DAOM graduates and their respective research topics are listed below:
• Janice Chen: Treatment of depression with acupuncture: A literature review synthesis in pursuit of the question—Can acupuncture impact reproductive outcomes in infertile women suffering from depression.
• Jessica Chen: The effect of Chinese herbal therapy on pregnancy rate when added to in vitro fertilization (IVF) in combination with acupuncture
• Sharareh Daghighi: Effectiveness of acupuncture and Chinese medicine herbs in lowering the FSH level of a thirty-nine year old female: A case study
• Lori Deutsch: Effects of Western and Eastern fertility treatment modalities on conception in women with polycystic ovary syndrome
• Florence Erman: Treatment of immunologic recurrent miscarriage with Chinese herbal medicine: A literature review synthesis
• Paula Kunkel: The role of Vitamin D in fertility and gestational development: Western and Eastern perspectives
• Andrea Murchison: Patterns of infertility and prior treatment for women who seek treatment at a TCM university fertility clinic
• Elizabeth Ohm: The impact of the herbal formula Qing Bao Zhu Yu Tang in the treatment of endometriosis
• Gila Peled: The influences of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine on semen parameters and male sub-fertility
• Virginia Prior: Effects fo Traditional Chinese Medicine on sperm parameters with a focus on DNA fragmentation: A literature review synthesis
• Cynthia Splies: Assessing the practice patterns of acupuncturists who treat fertility patients in Los Angeles: The clinical use of the Stener-Victorin and Paulus study protocols