Qihuang prize awarded to Mei Wang
Dr. Mei Wang, chair of ‘Leiden University - European Center for Chinese Medicine and natural compounds’ has been awarded the ‘Qihuang prize’. The prize is awarded by the Chinese Medicine Society in recognition of her significant contribution to Chinese medicine outside China and to further stimulate her initiative and creativeness.
Dr. Mei Wang is the founder of the Leiden University - European Center for Chinese Medicine and natural compounds (LUECCM). The LUECCM is a virtual research center for studies on Chinese herbal medicine and natural compounds located in the Sylvius Laboratory and bringing together expertise from within the Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL) and Fytagoras, a 20 year old TNO-spin-off company specialised in horticulture and seed technology.
The best of two worlds combined
The LUECCM brings together a variety of research projects by investigators from different scientific and cultural backgrounds. They target a better understanding of synergistic and opposing principles underlying Chinese herbal medicine and applications of natural compounds by combining the best of two worlds: scientific methods from the west and holistic knowledge from the east.
Mei Wang has been working for more than ten years for the European pharmacopoeia: a single reference work for the quality control of medicines in Europe and beyond. She contributed to about twenty monographs on Chinese herbal medicine. ‘It is an honor to receive the Qihuang prize and to be recognised for my work and activities,’ says Mei Wang.
The future...
Wang will continue to contribute with dedication to the study, recognition and application of Chinese medicine outside China. ‘Scientific proof and insight into the underlying mechanisms is key for acceptance of Chinese herbal medicine in western society. It is my ambition that people from all over the world will have access to the benefits of this rich and valuable knowledge base’ - says Wang