Workshop on traditional medicines: A sustainable lifestyle towards climate change

CIVIS focus area: Health
Open to: Bachelor's

Master's

PhD candidates/ students
Field of studies: Medicine and Health
Type: CIVIS Hub 3
Course dates: 14-16 July 2022

Application deadline extended to 24 May 2022

Over the years, Medicinal Plants (MPs) have formed the basis for traditional medicine systems in several countries. Many of them are also fundamental components of local diets. Transformation to sustainable lifestyles (including sustainable diets, and sustainable use of MPs) seems to be an urgent need to reach the Sustainable Development Goals-SDGs (United Nations and Paris Agreement) in order to address the effects of climate change on human health and environmental sustainability, as well as to reform a sustainable world for future generations.

Α multidisciplinary collaborative workshop within three CIVIS member Universities (University of Bucharest, Sapienza Università di Roma, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), two African partners (University of Sfax-Tunisia and Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar-Senegal), and two non-CIVIS partners (Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and the Cyprus University of Technology) will take place at the Department of Pharmacy at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in July of 2022. This workshop aims to share the indigenous knowledge about the use of MPs in traditional medicines of Europe and Africa, promote the cultivation of MPs through sustainable methods, and emphasize the importance of a sustainable diet that could lead to lifestyles in harmony with nature, connecting research with practice. The workshop will be structured around lectures (physical and virtual activity) by local and visiting professors from the CIVIS alliance, African partners, and the non-CIVIS partners, round table discussions, and presentations of students’ research (physical and virtual activity), and an industry visit.

Main topics addressed

Current knowledge-research of five basic domains:
Ethnopharmacology
Chemistry of Natural Products
Pharmacology
Agricultural Sciences
Food Sciences

Learning outcomes

The workshop aims to the development of critical thinking and transdisciplinarity, as well as promote team spirit and an international mentality among participants. At the end of the summer school, students will have been exposed to various aspects that will allow improving their knowledge on:

The application of certain Medicinal Plants (MPs), mainly in Greek, Romanian, and African traditional medicines
The chemistry of these MPs
The pharmacology of these MPs
The plant-pathogen interactions
The sustainable cultivation practices of MPs
The sustainable food diets

Language: English (B2)	Contact point: Professor Εleni Skaltsa and Dr. Ekaterina-Michaela Tomou
ECTS: 1*	Dates of the course: 14-16 July 2022
Contact hours: 8 hours	Student workload: 2 hours
Duration of the course: 3 days	Course location: Athens, Greece

*The recognition of ECTS depends on your home university.

This CIVIS course will be running for 3 days.

A maximum of 7 international CIVIS students will be accepted in the course for a total of 15 students.

Schedule of the course

This CIVIS course will consist of 3 days of 8-hour activity, plus reading and writing homework. Students should expect to dedicate approximately 10 hours per day, including personal reading and assessments (self-study hours). The workshop will take place at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Pharmacy (Greece).

Requirements

This CIVIS course is open to, Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD students at one of the 10 CIVIS member universities studying Ethnopharmacology and Pharmacognosy.

A B2 level of English is required.

Application process

Students from CIVIS member universities should send their CVs to attend the workshop.
For further information, please contact the organizing committee of the workshop: Professor Eleni Skaltsa or Dr. Ekaterina-Michaela Tomou.
Students should apply by 24 May 2022. They will be chosen according to their CV.

Selected students will be notified by 25 May 2022.

Assessment

Evaluation will be based on the student's participation and their presentation during the workshop.

General Eligibility Criteria for CIVIS Courses

Applicants need to be enrolled at their home university in order to be eligible for selection and participation. If uncertain about your status at your home university (part-time or exchange students etc) please check with your home university’s website or International Office.

Applicants who will be receiving other Erasmus funds for the duration of the course are not entitled to funding. Participation in the course may still be possible under “zero-grant” status, but applicants should contact their home university in order to confirm this.

A list of links and contacts for each university can be found in this Q&A.

GDPR Consent

The CIVIS alliance and its member universities will treat the information you provide with respect. Please refer to our privacy policy for more information on our privacy practices. By applying to this course you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

Dr. Noureddine Allouche is a full professor in chemistry at the Faculty of Sciences of Sfax (FSS) and Head of the Natural Substances Team in the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry. His research activity is documented by about 120 scientific peer-reviewed papers (h-index of 28 and 2400 citations), 2 chapters in two books, and 2 patents, dealing with the extraction, isolation identification, and biological activities of natural substances as well as treatment, bioconversion, and valorization of industrial wastes. He leads a research group of more than 20 researchers. He supervised 15 Ph. D. (and 4 are in progress), 42 M.Sc., and many diploma theses.

Dr. Robert Ancuceanu is a Professor within the Bucharest Faculty of Pharmacy (Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy). He was director-general of the General Directorate for Pharmaceutics and Medical Devices within the Romanian Ministry of Health and Vice-president of the Romanian National Medicines Agency. He was a member of the EMA Committee for Human Medicinal Products, the Paediatric Committee, and an alternate member of the Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. He has published over 70 scientific papers, two books as a single author, and was a co-author or chapter author to 13 books.

Dr. Antonios Chrysargyris (biologist) is a postdoctoral researcher at the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), and a special scientist teaching a series of courses at CUT and at the European University of Cyprus. His main research work is focused on the aromatic/medicinal plants cultivation and mineral needs, nutritional value, and the biological activities of plant extracts and essential oils. He has worked as a researcher in a series of National and European funded projects. He has published 84 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 4 chapters in peer-reviewed books, and participated in 70 presentations in National and International conferences.

Dr. Luigi Faino is a Professor at “Sapienza“ University of Rome, working in the field of plant pathology since 2004. His experience includes the role of effector genes in the interaction between pathogens and plants and genome evolution with an interest in effector evolution. He supervised 2 PhD (3 are in progress), about 20 M. Sc. and many are still in progress. Currently, he has three courses the courses of bioinformatics, Cellular biology and technologies, and plant biotechnology. He has 27 publications in international scientific journals and more than 30 presentations in Congresses/Conferences (h-index:16; citations 968).

Dr. Michail Rallis is an Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Technology at the Department of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). He is working in the field of dermatopharmacology and cosmetology. He is a member of “Oxygen Club of California” and “Society of Free Radical Research -Europe”. He supervised 7 Ph.D. thesis (3 are in progress) and many Master's and Diploma theses. He has 39 publications in international scientific journals and more than 130 presentations at international congresses. He is a conference organizer of the “Oxidative stress in skin biology and medicine” international congress.

Dr. Lavinia Ruta is a lecturer at the University of Bucharest, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Catalysis. She is a researcher with a double specialization: pharmacy and chemistry. Dr. Ruta's research is focused on the study of molecular mechanisms involved in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells' response to environmental stress (metallic, oxidative) and on engineering yeast cells aimed to hyperaccumulate heavy metals from the environment in order to use them as potential bioremediators of wastewaters. The pro-oxidant and antioxidant activity of organic compounds is another important topic of her research.

Dr. Insa Seck obtained his BS in physical chemistry in 2007 at the Cheikh Anta Diop University (Senegal). In 2016, he joined the department of chemistry at the Faculty of Sciences and Technics at Cheikh Anta Diop University as Assistant Professor. He is working in the field of chemistry of natural products and pharmacognosy for 10 years. His experience includes diverse phytochemical groups from various plant species, while he has extensive knowledge of the synthesis and isolation of bio-active compounds on bacterial infections and cancer. He has 16 publications in international scientific journals and 10 presentations at Congresses/Conferences.

Dr. Εleni Skaltsa is a Professor at the Department of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). She is working in the field of chemistry natural products and pharmacognosy for 38 years. She is a member of International and Greek Organizations and referee in many International Scientific journals. She is the Associate Editor of Phytochemistry. She supervised 13 Ph. D., 53 M. Sc. and many diploma theses, while more are in progress. She has 194 publications in international scientific journals and more than 200 presentations in Congresses/Conferences (h-index:41; citations >5200). She was Vice Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, NKUA (2017-2020). She is a member of the Committee for Continuing Education & CPD of community pharmacists and Drug Price Negotiation Committee (National Organization of Medicine).

Dr. Ekaterina-Michaela Tomou (M.Sc., PhD) is a pharmacist. Her Ph.D. thesis was funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research & Innovation (HFRI; GA. 16228) at the Department of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). So far, she has 2 chapters, 26 publications, and more than 18 presentations at scientific conferences (oral and poster presentations). During her Ph.D. studies, she was a Fulbright Scholar (2019-2020) at Harvard Medical School. She is selected as one of the CIVIS Ambassadors of NKUA. She participated in the manifesto on the Future of European Universities for 2022 from the European Universities Community (EUC) and she has been selected to participate in the relative Congress (European Student Assembly).

Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou MD, PhD, President of the Hellenic Health Foundation, Full Member of the Academy of Athens, Professor Emeritus of the University of Athens School of Medicine. She has served as president of the Federation of the European Nutrition Societies and as chairperson or key member of numerous Greek, European Commission, and World Health Organization Committees. She has received numerous honors and awards. In 2011, she received the Federation of European Nutrition Societies Award for her “outstanding nutritionist career”. Her scientific work has focused on public health and nutrition epidemiology, with emphasis on the health effects of the Mediterranean diet and traditional foods.

Dr. Nikolaos Tzortzakis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology. He has extensive research experience on issues of plant nutrition, hydroponics and substrate determination, climate change and abiotic stress, exploitation of plant wastes in greenhouse/field crops as well as postharvest preservation of fresh produce. He is involved (coordinator/partner) in EU and national projects and organized international conferences in Hydroponics and in Postharvest Pathology. He has published 154 papers/book chapters (h-index: 28) and presented his research in 143 scientific conferences in diverse areas, such as Vegetable Science, Aromatic/Medicinal Plants, Greenhouse Crops/Hydroponics, Growing media evaluation, and Fresh produce preservation.