Webinar Forum: An Innovative Program in Applied Natural Products

Lana Dvorkin-Camiel, PharmD, introduced the varying complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) courses offerings from the oldest University in Boston: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Dvorkin-Camiel is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Natural Products Division Coordinator at the college.

Of the available courses, special attention was given to the new Pharmacognosy course, which will be offered in the spring of 2009. Dvorkin-Camiel also discussed the Masters of Applied Natural Products program. A recording of this webinar is available at www.naturalstandard.com.

Dvorkin-Camiel’s presentation is one of many upcoming complimentary webinars on integrative medicine. The next webinar, presented by Natural Standard Chief Editor Catherine Ulbricht, PharmD, on December 10 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time, will provide a general overview of the database. Whether you are new to Natural Standard or a recurrent subscriber, Ulbricht will help you understand the functionality of the database, so you can take advantage of all that Natural Standard has to offer. To participate in the next webinar, please click here and call: (616) 883-8055, access code 644-424-903.

Natural Standard values the opinions and views of its readers and welcomes feedback and questions about the latest webinar event. Also, if you have any suggestions for future webinar topics, please leave a comment below or send an e-mail to: questions@naturalstandard.com.

Comments

[Metu]

I had to look up pharmacognosy. "Pharmacognosy" derives from two Greek words, "pharmakon" or drug, and "gnosis" or knowledge. Thus, pharmacognosy is the study of bioactive natural substances found in terrestrial and marine organisms (plants, animals or microbes).

[Pepper]

After pharmacognosy had its heyday in the early part of the last century, there is renewed interest in this fascinating area of study. Check out the MCPHS Web site for more info.

[MD]

This webinar showcased some pretty interesting info from the pharmacy student/educator perspective. It’s great to see a profession evolving with the advent and inclusion of traditional and natural medicines instead of hiding in the closet away from it. I wonder which practitioners are teaching the actual courses and their respective licensure.

[donald k]

What’s the difference between a PharmD and a Master's? I guess the Master's is more focused, and the PharmD more traditional? The pictures of the college look pretty stunning; I wonder what this school is actually like. It sounds pretty progressive for being the oldest college in Boston. I wonder how hands-on the Pharmacognosy course is; this looks good on paper.

[Melissa]

Dr. Dvorkin spoke about the available courses in pursuing a master in applied natural products (MANP) and how to receive a certificate in applied natural products (CANP). When completing these courses and achieving MANP or CANP, what career paths can these lead you towards?

[Mike]

What are the prerequisites in enrolling a program such as a master in applied natural products? Can anyone enroll in this program, or do they need some type of medical background?

[SUMA]

It was interesting to learn the history of Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. I thought that Dr. Dvorkin did a great job of explaining the curriculum for the Masters of Applied Natural Products and the Certificate of Applied Natural Products. For those of you interested in more information and requirements for the program, check out the Web site at www.mcphs.edu/manp This will give you all the information you need.

Speaking as a student enrolled in the MANP program, I can tell you that it is all that Dr. Dvorkin described and more. I initially enrolled in the program without any intention of making a career change; however, I have discovered that there are many opportunities out there in the natural products industry, and I look forward to pursuing some of the opportunities to which I have been exposed.

Review of the literature demonstrates an increased use of CAM in the general population. As a result, there is an increasing responsibility of “conventional” healthcare professionals to understand these therapies and the effects they may have on a patient’s overall health and treatment. I feel that this program has given us exposure to a number of reputable speakers and given us the training we need to pursue careers involving natural products.

[Becca]

This was a very nice overview of the history of MCPHS and how the Applied Natural Products Master's degree came about. I am in my fourth semester in the program. As a Registered Dietitian, I have enhanced my knowledge of natural products and met some great people in the program. It has been a great experience overall. We have also been exposed to some excellent speakers and have the opportunity to network.

[JOG]

It was good hearing about the evolution of botanical science at MCPHS. Dr. Dvorkin also provided a very good overview of the MANP program. Currently, as a student in the Applied Natural Products Masters program, I can say that the courses on dietary supplements, herbal supplements and functional medicine are a must for all interested in herbal and dietary science. You come away with a tremendous amount of useful information and a different perspective in these areas. Some of the guest lecturers brought us to what I call the "cutting edge of technology on natural products and functional medicine." It is a very well-run program.

[j love]

Melissa,

I think you need to already be a doctorate of pharmacy, but I could be wrong. Pharmacy is weird like that since the base degree is a doctorate. I guess you check with the college if you are interested further. I don’t know how available Dr Dvorkin is, but she had some great info on other areas.

[Sandy Jones]

Great to see that in a city that's rich in medical schools and research, there is burgeoning interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). A quick Google search showed that only three other universities offer a doctorate in the field of pharmacognosy, plus another 10 or so institutions offering different online degrees.

Interestingly, this field also has a flip side: In reverse pharmacognosy, the idea is to identify biological targets for natural compounds through screening and then pinpointing natural substances that house the active molecules.

[liz]

Dr. Dvorkin gave a great overview of the MANP program and history of the school. As a student enrolled in MANP, I completely agree with JOG.

[h ariel]

Dr. Lana Dvorkin-Camiel has once again demonstrated her ingenuity and creativity through the development of an exceptional program, the Masters Program in Applied Natural Products, offered at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences.

[reese]

I had no idea a Master's degree is available for currently practicing professionals. I guess I was under the impression that natural medicine people separate from the world of licensed pharmacy. I guess there is more stuff being sold in pharmacies as supplements or natural products in addition to the standard medications.

[brian]

It is great to see more career paths opening up in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). With the economy doing so poorly, I think patients are going to start relying on herbal products more and more as their primary resource rather than synthetic medicine. Dr. Dvorkin provided a great introduction to the possible pathways in CAM.

[compounding pharmacy]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

[RZD]

A webinar, what a great concept! I'll definitely check it out at some point. CAM is very interesting to me, and I look forward to learning more about it.

[V.N.]

I was able to take Dr. Lana Dvorkin-Camiel's herbal supplements class at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She did a great job bringing in many experts in different aspects of natural healing. We were able to see the herbs and prepare tinctures, syrups and teas out of them. I'm happy that they are offering a pharmacognosy course because students have little exposure to natural methods of healing.

[Luce]

It is amazing how the profession of pharmacy is not only growing with the new technology and ideas, but also growing in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), which if I’m not mistaken, was a part of the original practice of medicine and pharmacy.

[Amanda]

Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to listen to Dvorkin-Camiel’s lecture yet, but it sounds very interesting! I’m glad to see such interest in CAM, and I hope to have the opportunity to attend this lecture in the future.

[Jay]

Luce, you bring up a great point! CAM is very important to the pharmacy profession, but I think lately it has been overshadowed by the large pharmaceutical companies and the numerous drugs now advertised all the time. It's great that there is a resource like Natural Standard that covers so many herbs and alternative modalities in its databases!

[Jeff]

The webinars are great. CAM is something that has been around for such a long time but is really gaining momentum as far as public interest in concerned. I really advocate the services here at Natural Standard. It's the only place that I know of where you can find detailed information that is scientifically backed. Two thumbs UP!