1. Global agenda and priorities for traditional medicine research

Prioritizing research in TM adds value by fostering coordinated efforts among stakeholders, including governments and researchers, to align their initiatives with WHO's regional and global strategic goals. This collaborative approach enhances the development of evidence-based practices and policies, ultimately facilitating the effective integration of traditional medicine into global health systems.

2. Bulletin of the World Health Organization Special Issue on Traditional Medicine

A special issue featuring 12-15 articles on TM, covering the work which WHO has undertaken and advances made by regions and Member States (MS) in thrust areas such as research, integration, digital health, policy, PHC & UHC, routine health information systems, biodiversity and intellectual properties.

3. Research Methods for Traditional Medicine

Lack of appropriate methods to undertake research in TM is a major barrier to strengthen TM research, its validity, and adds to shortage in research capacity. TRE is developing evidence-based resource materials for applying the appropriate evaluation tools/methods for TM research.

4. Informed Health Choices

TRE will provide accessible learning materials for the public, linked with WHO 'Your Life, Your Health' resource, on the safety, efficacy, and cultural context of Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) practices. By promoting health literacy and informed decision-making, TRE will empower individuals to integrate TCIM into their healthcare journeys responsibly,

5. Bridging evidence gaps for integration

Using the example of integrative traditional medicine and biomedicine interventions for filarial lymphedema to illustrate how to bridge evidence gaps for integration of TCIM into health systems using a primary health care approach.

6. Safety Profiles of Traditional Herbs

Using the example of assessment of safety of three globally used herbs in traditional medicine, TRE will provide actionable policy recommendations aimed at improving regulatory practices and safety monitoring for traditional herbs.

7. Mapping Systematic Reviews on Traditional Medicine

With the availability of systematic reviews (SRs) on TM, systematic mapping is a useful methodology to determine the extent and nature of SRs and to identify research gaps. WHO map SRs of selected TM interventions across health conditions provides comprehensive evidence of the most studied TM modalities, as well as the nature and extent of this body of evidence.

8. Scoping Review of TM Research Methods

The review will summarize and characterize the range of research approaches (i.e., methods, methodologies, frameworks and strategies) used to study TM systems and practices and describe the logical alignment of the approaches to the specific TM system paradigms.

9. Mixed Methods Systematic Review of barriers and enablers of TM research

From a global context, the review will address structural considerations (e.g., funding, infrastructure, policy), cognitive factors (e.g., knowledge, training, skills), cultural contexts (e.g., research-related perspectives across ethnic, professional and patient communities), and paradigmatic complexities (e.g., the alignment between research methods and TM systems) that are barriers and enablers of TM research.