Research Training in Natural Product Complementary and Alternative Medicine

University of Illinois Chicago
Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy
833 South Wood Street, M/C 781
Chicago, IL 60612
United States
Web site: https://pharmacy.uic.edu/students/graduate-students/training-opportuniti...

This training grant currently supports six predoctoral trainees working towards a Ph.D. in natural products research. The Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy (MCP) and the Program for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences (PCRPS) have been leading programs in natural products research and graduate education, in particular through the Pharmacognosy graduate program. This highly collaborative training environment involves two natural product centers, the UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research and the Center for Natural Product Technologies (CeNAPT), as well as numerous collaborative, NIH-funded research projects. Faculty in the program are world-renowned natural products researchers that support the mission and serve as mentors on this training grant. For over four decades, PCRPS has acquired a global reputation of excellence in graduate education and postgraduate training, with hundreds of alumni worldwide. The signature of this program is its emphasis on interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to graduate education in natural products of biomedical relevance. The PCRPS incorporates UIC’s Pharmacognosy graduate program, a postdoctoral and scholarly training and exchange program in Pharmacognosy that includes the UIC WHO Traditional Medicines Collaborating Center, and Medicinal Chemistry graduate and postgraduate training with a natural products focus. The UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research evaluates the safety and efficacy of botanical dietary supplements that are used widely by menopausal women in the U.S. The Center for Natural Product Technologies (CeNAPT) has further expanded this educational opportunities for trainees. Mentored by well-funded faculty with expertise in natural products research, our graduates move on to leadership positions in academia, industry, regulatory, and government here in the U.S. and all over the world. Training young scientists for careers in natural products research is a core mission of the College of Pharmacy, jointly provided by the MCP Department, PCRPS, and the Botanical and CeNAPT centers.

Mechanism: T32