The Stephen E. Straus Distinguished Lecture in the Science of Complementary and Alternative Medicine series was established to honor Dr. Straus, the founding director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and an internationally recognized clinician-scientist, who died in 2007.

Dr. Straus built a comprehensive research enterprise, championing the efforts to establish the efficacy and safety of CAM practices while upholding the rigorous standards of science for which the NIH is known. Under his leadership, CAM research at NIH grew threefold, facilitating his vision of an evidence-based integrative approach to health care for the benefit of the public. An internationally recognized scientist, Dr. Straus also held the position of senior investigator in the Laboratory of Clinical Investigation at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The 2011 lecture took place on November 7 at the National Institutes of Health - Masur Auditorium in Bethesda, Maryland from 9-11 am. The speaker was Dr. Sean Mackey of Stanford University.  The lecture was presented by NCCAM and supported by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health with generous funding from The Bernard Osher Foundation.

View the webcast for this event. 

Stephen E. Straus, M.D. Portrait Unveiling and Reception 

The Stephen E. Straus, M.D. Portrait Unveiling and Reception was hosted by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine to honor their Founding Director, Dr. Straus, and to unveil a portrait of him, which now hangs in the lobby of NCCAM as a tribute to his work.

The reception took place on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Guests in attendance included Dr. Francis Collins, Director, National Institutes of Health, Dr. Josephine Briggs, Director, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Dr. John Gallin, Director, NIH Clinical Center, and members of the Straus family.

The event and portrait was made possible by Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and through generous support from it’s donors.