State-of-the-Art Plenary Lecture IV
Mining Nature’s Chemistry: Ethnobotany and Drug Discovery for Dermatologic Applications
BIO
Dr. Cassandra Quave is Curator of the Emory University Herbarium and Assistant Professor of Dermatology and Human Health at Emory University, where she leads drug discovery research initiatives and teaches undergraduate courses on medicinal plants, food and health. Trained as a medical ethnobotanist, her research focuses on the documentation and biochemical analysis of botanical remedies used in the traditional treatment of infectious and inflammatory skin disease. She earned her B.S. in Biology and Anthropology from Emory University in 2000, her Ph.D. in Biology from Florida International University in 2008, and completed post-doctoral fellowships in Microbiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (2009-2011) and Human Health at Emory University (2012). Her research has been supported by the NIH (T32, F31, F32, R01, R21), industry contracts, and philanthropy. To date, she has authored more than 60 publications, 2 edited books and 3 patents. Dr. Quave is the co-founder and CEO/CSO of PhytoTEK LLC, a drug discovery company dedicated to developing solutions from botanicals for the treatment of antibiotic resistant infections and recalcitrant wounds. She is also a Past President of the President of the Society for Economic Botany, an international society with the mission of fostering research and education on the past, present, and future uses of plants by people. She has been the subject of feature profiles in the New York Times Magazine, BBC Focus, Brigitte Magazin and the National Geographic Channel, and her work has been featured on NPR, in the National Geographic Magazine and several major news outlets including the Washington Post, The Telegraph, CBS News and NBC News. Follow her research on Twitter (@QuaveEthnobot), Instagram (@quaveethnobot), Facebook (@QuaveMedicineWoman) or LinkedIn (Cassandra Quave).
