2007 International Symposium on Medicinal & Nutraceutical Plants

Dr. Norman R. Farnsworth, Research Professor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, and Director of the Program for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Pharmacy, Chicago, IL 60612-7231, Office Phone: 312-996-7253, Fax Number: 312-996-7107 (norman@uic.edu) will be the invited speaker at the banquet on the evening of 22 March 2007. Dr. Farnsworth earned his B.Sc. in 1953 and M.Sc. in 1955 from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. He obtained his Ph.D. in 1959 from the University of Pittsburgh. Additionally, he hold honorary doctorates from University of Paris V (Rene Descartes), Upsalla University, Sweden, and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Sciences as well as he is an Honorary Professor of University of Science, Peru, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Trujillo University Peru, Distinguished University Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago. His research interests include isolation and structure elucidation of biologically active principles from natural sources; evaluation of folk medicine; computerization of the world literature on natural products (chemical and pharmacological); traditional medicine; antitumor, chemopreventive, antifertility, toxic, antiviral, antiparasitic and molluscicidal plants, and botanical dietary supplements for women’s health. He has maintained connections with such professional organizations as the American Society of Pharmacognosy, Society for Economic Botany, French Pharmacognosy Society, International Society of Ethnopharmacology, and Japanese Society of Pharmacognosy. He is editor of NAPRALERT; co-editor of Phytomedicine, member of editorial advisory boards of the Journal of Natural Products, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Abstracts, Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy; Herbalgram, and PDQ-NCI(on line). He teaches PMPG 569, a 2 credit hours course entitled “Predictive Strategies in Pharmacognosy” which deals with consideration of the methods employed for the selection of plants that are most likely to yield biologically active compounds. He has an extensive list of scientific publications.