Call to Order:
Dr. DeBari, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 5:19 P.M. on Friday, October 22, 2004, there being a quorum present.

Attendance:
Those in attendance were Drs. Brandt, Buser, DeBari, Lee, Malinowski, Ramalanjaona (via conference call) and Shah. Also in attendance were Mr. Kittredge, Executive Director, and Dr. Manyan.

Minutes:
The Minutes of the meeting held on June 22, 2004, were reviewed. Upon proper motion by Dr. Buser, seconded by Dr. Ramalanjaona, it was VOTED unanimously to approve the Minutes as distributed.

Selection of Chairman:
Mr. Kittredge pointed out that the first meeting following the NEOMEN Annual Meeting is dedicated to choosing the committee Chairman for the coming year.
Upon acclamation, it was unanimously VOTED to select Dr. DeBari, as Chairman of the Research Committee.
Dr. DeBari introduced Dr. Manyan and indicated that he will be appointed by Dr. Wolf to serve on this committee for 2004-2005.

Plan of Work:
Dr. DeBari reported that the plan of work closely parallels his report to the Annual Meeting. First, the committee will continue to plan and host the Annual Research Forum to be held on Friday, April 1, 2005. Dr. Brandt suggested that the committee add a category of competition this year for students. Dr. Buser commented that this was a good suggestion, as the COM does not hold a Research Day, and this would be a good way to promote enthusiasm and ownership of student research projects. Upon proper motion by Dr. Malinowski, seconded by Dr. Buser, it was unanimously VOTED to add a new Student-Initiated Original Research category to the competition and, further, the committee should request financial support from the COM to support it. After some discussion, it was agreed that Mr. Kittredge would meet with Dr. Malinowski to coordinate the schedule and arrangements for the Forum. Mr. Kittredge indicated that time is getting short, and a Call for Abstracts would be sent to members during the first week in November. The time line would be distributed to the committee members at the same time.
The next item on the work plan involves updating the Research page on the web site. Dr. Brandt reminded the committee that Dr. Meyer is to be added to the Mentor list.
The third area of focus was the committee's review of research goals and objectives. Dr. DeBari requested that a copy of the current research goals and objectives be sent to each member. He indicated that the reaffirmation of these goals and objectives would be on the agenda of the next meeting.
The fourth area of discussion involved the next steps in aligning with a primary care research network. After a brief discussion of some of the alternatives, Mr. Kittredge suggested that NEOMEN focus on the Dartmouth Cooperative. Dr. Brandt concurred and indicated that we should approach Dr. Alto for advice. Dr. DeBari asked Drs. Brandt, and Lee and Mr. Kittredge to speak with Dr. Alto and recommend the next steps.
The fifth issue to be discussed was the formal development of NEOMEN policies dealing with authorship, resolution of disputes and misconduct. Dr. DeBari indicated that he would obtain copies of policies that might be revised to suit NEOMEN's needs. He will send them to Mr. Kittredge for distribution before the next meeting.
Finally, the committee discussed the NIH Roadmap and alternative medicine projects. Dr. Buser suggested that we invite Marilyn Gugliucci to our next meeting to present a brief summary of her work. He suggested that the committee evaluate how we might facilitate a funded project.

Other Business:
Dr. Buser informed the committee that the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation has funding for Research Director positions in each COM. He indicated that they have over $275 million to further the osteopathic profession. He suggested that NEOMEN further its research plan by requesting funds for a Research Director for the OPTI. Upon proper motion by Dr. Lee, seconded by Dr. Buser, it was VOTED to approve a Resolution to support the Board of Governors in submitting a request to the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation to fund the position of Research Director for NEOMEN.

Next Meeting:
The next meeting will be scheduled for November 30, 2004, at 1:00 P.M. via conference call.

Adjournment:
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:30 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Edward F. Kittredge, FACHE
Executive Director

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