Members of the Board of Directors (BoD):

Four BoD and Executive Council Members:

President: Dr. Mei Wang

Dr. Mei Wang, founder and chairperson of LU-European Center for Chinese Medicine and Natural compounds (LUECCM), Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Netherlands, expert member and representative of Dutch pharmacopeia for TCM working party at European pharmacopeia committee EDQM, vice-chair of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine (WFCMS) Specialty Committee of innovative natural medicine, board member of NVF (Dutch association of Phytotherapy, member of ESCOP), associate editor of the journal Phytomedicine.

She holds a PhD (1988) in cell biology and genetics from Leiden University, Netherlands and a BSc (1982) from Peking University, P.R. China. Based on a huge science and business success in the field of secondary plant metabolites in animal (and human) systems, she formed a Plant Systems Biology group linked with TNO Systems Biology Technology platform and Leiden University Pharmacognosy Research group. From this activity onwards the innovative strategy on bridging Western and Eastern medicine based on TCM and the company SU Biomedicine was established in 2004. She is the CEO of SU Biomedicine. SU BioMdicine has realized, as the first company in the world, the registration of a Chinese medicine product according to tHMP (traditional herbal medicinal product) rules in Europe that is produced in China. In 2018, she obtained the international “Qihuang prize’ which was awarded by Chinese Medicine Society. In 2020, she obtained the 2nd prize for International Contribution Award of Traditional Chinese Medicine-Science and Technology Progress Award WFCMS.

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Secretary-General and President-Elect: Prof. Simon Ming-Yuen Lee

Simon Ming Yuen Lee is currently Chair Professor (biomedical science), Department of Food Science and Nutrition, and Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is also Adjunt Chair Professor at the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese medicine of the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences at the University of Macau. Simon obtained PhD degree in biochemistry from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests lie in the discovery of drug-like agents from natural products including small molecule and biologics for use in various therapeutic areas, including oncology and neurodegenerative diseases. His dedication to education and research in the fields of genomics, pharmacology and toxicology has leaded to over 300 scholarly articles, including Nature Genetics, Nature Communications (4×) and Science Advances. Simon is a life member of Clare Hall, University of Cambridge. He has served as a committee member for different professional associations (Chair of Council, Macau Pharmacology Association; Chinese Medicine Regulatory Advisory Board, Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau of Macao SAR government; Technical Expert of Accreditation Assessment for the Innovation and Technology Commission of Hong Kong SAR government).

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Treasurer: Prof. Tai-Ping Fan

As Dean of School of Life & Health Sciences, Fuyao University of Science & Technology in Fuzhou, China since 2024, Tai-Ping is in renaissance of his scientific career, actively pursuing innovative research in developing safe, effective and affordable products from TCM, and further promoting GP-TCM RA’s activities in China and Asia.

Tai-Ping served as Secretary-General, President-elect, President and Treasurer of the GP-TCM RA since 2012 and was elected an Honorary Member. He gave a Plenary Lecture “Health and Healing Through Evidence-based Applications of Traditional Medicine” in a United Nations Academic Impact Conference (2015).

His team was the first to demonstrate the Yin and the Yang of ginseng in modulating angiogenesis, and the first to show bioactive dihydroxylated phenolic acids are generated de novo as part of a human’s defense mechanism against disease, underpinning the scientific basis of ethnopharmacological applications of Radix Salvia miltiorrhizae, and highlights the therapeutic potential of such phytochemicals in humans.

“In recognition of his contributions to the health and wellbeing sector though his innovative research on angiogenesis and TCM”, Tai-Ping was elected a fellow of The Royal Society of Arts in 2021. His 10-member team also won Second Prize of International Award for Contribution to Chinese Medicine – Achievement Award in Medical Science of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies in 2022.

Publications: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=NzK2TBcAAAAJ&hl=en

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Past President: Prof. Clara Bik-San Lau

Professor Clara Lau is currently the Professor at the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy & School of Chinese Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong (HKU). She is also currently the Adjunct Professor of the Institute of Chinese Medicine & The School of Chinese Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Before she joined HKU in April 2024, she was the Associate Director of the Institute of Chinese Medicine and the State Key Laboratory of Research on Bioactivities and Clinical Applications of Medicinal Plants at CUHK. With a courtesy appointment as Associate Professor at the School of Chinese Medicine, CUHK, she has served as Deputy Program Director/Program Director (2005-2015) of a part-time MSc in Chinese Medicines and Herbal Drugs. With BPharm and PhD in Pharmacy (Pharmacognosy) from King’s College London, University of London, UK, she has a continuous interest in medicinal plants (western herbals and traditional Chinese medicines) and has over 29 years of experience in natural products research. Her current main research areas include anti-cancer natural products and beneficial herb-drug combinations, and has published over 285 refereed journal articles (h-index 50) and 11 book chapters, and has edited 1 book. She currently serves as member of ChP-USP Advisory Group on Monographs for Traditional Chinese Medicine Ingredients and Products; Past President of Good Practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Association (GP-TCM RA); Secretary General and Executive Council Member of The Consortium for Globalization of Chinese Medicine (CGCM); Council Member of Modernized Chinese Medicine International Association (MCMIA); Associate Editors of Journal of Ethnopharmacology, and Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (eJTCM), Consulting Editor of the journal Pharmacological Research, and Editorial Board member of various journals including Phytomedicine, Scientific Reports, Journal of Natural Products, Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology and Integrative Medicine Research.

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Thirdteen BoD Members (in alphabetical order):

Prof. Rudolf Bauer

Studied pharmacy at University of Munich; Ph.D. in 1984; 1993-2002 associate professor at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology, University of Düsseldorf; since 2002 professor of pharmacognosy at University of Graz, Austria; 2004 – 2020 Head of Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of Graz; since 2008 head of TCM Research Center Graz / Medicinal plant research. Guest professor at School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine; Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants and Institute of Guangxi Medicinal Plants, Nanning; Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, China Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing; Chengdu University of TCM; Heilongjiang University of CM, Harbin; Changchun University of CM, Department of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, and Dr. Kennedy Wong Distinguished Visiting Professorship at School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University. Recipient of Egon-Stahl-Award of the Society for Medicinal Plant Research (GA), Norman Farnsworth Excellence in Botanical Research Award; Qihuang International Prize of China Association of Chinese Medicine, Outstanding International Scientist Award (Pranab Banerji Memorial Award) of the Society for Ethnopharmacology India (SFE). Honorary doctorates of the universities of Helsinki/Finland and Szeged/Hungary. Recipient of the Government Friendship Award of the Peoples Republic of China. Associate Editor in Chief of Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines and World Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine (WJTCM). Chairman of the expert group on Chinese herbs and of Group 13A of the European Pharmacopoeia. Previous president of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Products Research (GA) and of the International Society for Ethnopharmacology (ISE). Long experience in natural product chemistry; ca. 420 scientific publications (h-Index = 70).

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Mr. Abraham Chan

I am the founder and Chairman of PuraPharm Corporation Ltd, a publicly traded company listed on the Main Board of HK Stock Exchange. PuraPharm dedicates itself to the modernization and internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and is a leading company engaged in the R&D, production, marketing and selling of concentrated Chinese Medicine granules(CCMG) products.PuraPharm has been supplying CCMG to the majority of hospitals in Hong Kong since 2004 and is one of the only five, and the only non-PRC company licensed by the CFDA to manufacture and sell CCMG products in China.  PuraPharm is the largest and the leading CCMG manufacturer in Hong Kong, and owns the largest Chinese medicine clinic chain in HK. PuraPharm’s own TCM research & production facilities is based in Guangxi, China which complies with the PRC Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, as well as Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) standards. PuraPharm also owns a Chinese herbs plantation site in the province of Guizhou, China, covering an area of over 4,000 acres.
As the founder and the Chairman of the Company and with extensive experience in Chinese medicine and healthcare products, I am responsible for directing the overall strategies and planning of the Group’s business. I also lead the Group’s R&D and technological development functions.  PuraPharm, actively collaborating with various universities and research institutes internationally, has established itself as the technological front-runner within the industry.  Through continuous innovation, PuraPharm has come to be regarded as a leading company in the research and development of traditional Chinese medicine.

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Dr. Chris Chan

Chris is the Assistant Professor of the School of Chinese Medicine, HK Baptist University. He designed and conducted multiple clinical trials and cohorts which showed that 1) rehmannia-6-based Chinese medicine and 2) astragalus reduces kidney function decline in diabetes, 3) Chinese medicine was associated with significant mortality reduction in hospitalized COVID, and 4) hospitalized chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. These findings were published in Kidney Int, Clin J Am Soc Nephrol, Phytomedicine, etc. He is also a sub-investigator of a multi-national Chinese medicine industrial trial. He received 23 awards, including the 2018 GP-TCM RA Best Poster Award and 2023 ISCMR Scientific Article Prize.

Chris received training in clinical medicine from HKBU (BCM&BSc, MCM), Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (MD); epidemiology and personalized medicine from London School of Hygiene (MSc Public Health) and UMCG (overseas training); and internal medicine and basic science from Queen Mary Hospital and HKU (PhD). He served for Hospital Authority, WHO and KPMG Advisory on clinical medicine, medical administration, research and policy previously. He serves as a board member of >10 international/local associations in primary care, diabetes, evidence-based medicine and classical literature, and Chinese medicine related policy, hospital, and regulation currently.

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Prof. Yuan Shiun Chang

Dr. Yuan Shiun Chang is a professor of Pharmacognosy at China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan. He received his Ph.D. degree in Pharmacognosy from University of Illinois at Chicago, U.S.A. He had engaged in the quality control studies of TCM herbs. He is the PI of the projects for the compilation of the 2nd ,3rd and 4th editions of both Chinese and English version of Taiwan Herbal Pharmacopeia (THP). He has also been invited to join Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standard Project, Department of Health, Hong Kong as PI from Taiwan. Professor Chang is nominated as USP HMC East Asia Expert Panel member (EP) and USP Botanical Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicine Expert Committee (EC). He is also an EDQM TCM Working Party Member, European Pharmacopeia. Professor Chang is also appointed as Honorary Professor of College of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University. Professor Chang was also listed as top 2% world scientists in Stanford University ranking in 2021 on both lifelong and 2021. Professor Chang was elected as Board member of GP TCM RA (2023 – 2024). Professor Chang received Professional Medal from Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan in 2023  for his contribution to the TCM communities.

To date, he has published 160 scientific papers and 27 books in TCM related fields. Most of the books were government publications through government research funding.

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Prof. Pierre Duez

PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Toxicology), Pierre Duez heads a teaching and research department in the Université de Mons (Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy); he is teaching Pharmacognosy, Pharmacology, Nutrition and bibliographical tools, both in theory and practice. He has access to chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques for Belgian and foreign PhD students. Specialized in the study and analysis of natural products, the team concentrates on the elucidation of DNA repair modulators and on the integration of traditional medicines with African modern medicine (DR Congo). Pierre Duez is member of the European Pharmacopoeia TCM working party, of the European Medicines Agency (Monograph and List Working Party), of the Belgian Commissions of Pharmacopoeia and Registration of Herbal Medicines. He is active in development cooperation with Algeria, Argentina, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Uganda, DR Congo, PR China (Macao), Rwanda, Madagascar, Vietnam. Member of the GP-TCM consortium, he is currently Board Member and Chair of the Pharmacology & Toxicology Interest Group for the GP-TCM RA.  He is (co-)supervisor of 21 defended theses, co-editor of 1 book, co-author of 10 book chapters, 169 scientific papers, 1 report for the European Development Fund, 1 patent and 328 communications in meetings. He has organized the 2015 GP-TCM RA meeting in Mons, Belgium.

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Prof. Thomas Efferth

Professor Dr. Prof. h. c. mult. Thomas Efferth is chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. He is biologist by training (Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany). Doctoral thesis: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany (1990). Awards: Prize of the Southwest German Association for Medicine (1991), Willmar-Schwabe-Award of the German Society for Medicinal Plant Research (2006), citizen medal of the City of Heidelberg, Germany (2008), CESAR Award for Translational Oncology (2011), SCENTEDdrop Award on medicinal and flagrant herbs (2015), Qihuang International Award of the Chinese Association of Chinese Medicine (2017). Since 2018, he is full member of the World Academy of Sciences.

He headed a research group for Pharmaceutical Biology at DKFZ (2005-2009) and was adjunct professor (apl.) at the University of Heidelberg (2007-2009). In 2009, he took over the Chair of Pharmaceutical Biology (full professorship) at the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz. Furthermore, he is honorary professor at the Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, and at the Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China. Moreover, he is visiting professor at the Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, China and honorary adjunct professor at the Chinese University Hong Kong.

Thomas Efferth published 650 PubMed-listed papers and in peer-reviewed journals in the field of cancer research, pharmacology, and natural products (Hirsch-factor: 82; citation rate: 30,000; acc. Google Scholar) and a textbook on ‘Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology’ (Springer Publisher; 2006). He holds 7 patents. The scientific results were communicated in over 270 oral presentation and invited lectures and over 200 poster presentations at national and international conferences and meetings. He is editor-in-chief of Phytomedicine and Phytomedicine Plus as well as associate editor of several other scientific journals and scientific advisory board member (e.g. German Pharmaceutical Society, Hong Kong Research Grant council etc.). Thirteen of his former lab members promoted to leading academic positions (1 president, 2 full professors, 10 associate/assistant professors).

The focus of Dr. Efferth’s research is on tumor pharmacology, network pharmacology, and recently also on COVID-19.

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Prof. George Pak-Hang Leung

I am George Pak-Heng Leung. I obtained my Bachelor of Pharmacy and PhD from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. After two years of post-doctoral training at the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, I joined the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy at the University of Hong Kong. I am currently an Associate Professor and Interim Head of the Department. I have more than 25 years of experience in pharmacology research. My research focuses on the pharmacology of traditional Chinese Medicine and natural products, particularly in cancer, neurodegeneration and cardiovascular diseases. I have published 150 full-length papers in international scientific journals, including Phytomedicine, Pharmacological Research, British Journal of Pharmacology, and European Journal of Pharmacology. I amthe Editorial Board member of the European Journal of Pharmacology, Current Opinion in Pharmacology, PharmaNutrition, and Acta Materia Medica. I am also the Advisory Editorial Board member of the Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences and the Associate Editor of Frontiers in Pharmacology (Cardiovascular and Smooth Muscle).

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Dr. Lie-Fen Shyur

Dr. Lie-Fen Shyur is a Distinguished Research Fellow in the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica and holds joint professorships at thirteen universities/institutions in Taiwan. Dr. Shyur has several professional roles, such as current President of Taiwan Association of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TATCM), Board of Directors, Board Committees, and Advisory Board Members at different governmental organizations, such as Ministry of Economic Affairs and Ministry of Health and Welfare, universities, and international/domestic societies. She serves as editorial board member and referee for many international scientific journals. Dr. Shyur’s major research focus is to research and development of phytomedicines/phytoagents for aging-associated diseases, including cancers and sarcopenia. The ultimate goal of Dr. Shyur’s lab research is to develop plant-based agents for human and animal health care. Dr. Shyur’s research achievements include publication of >120 research articles in high-profile and reputed journals (mainly are the corresponding author) and obtained >35 international/Taiwan patents and several national and prestige awards, such as Tien-Der Lee Outstanding BioMedical Award, 3 National Innovation Awards, 2 National Innovation and Advancement Awards, and 1 National Invention and Creation Award, etc. In 2017, Shyur lab received U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Zhaohe Cao-based botanical drug as an Investigational New Drug (IND) for cancer therapy.

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Prof. Monique Simmonds

I gained my BSc at Leeds University and PhD from Birkbeck College, University of London. I joined Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 1985 working on different aspects of plant/fungal chemistry. I was introduced to Traditional Chinese Medicine in the mid 1990’s by my colleague Dr Christine Leon. I then helped Kew raise funds for the creation of the large collection of TCM at Kew that started in 1998. I was then involved in a range of TCM related projects and was part of the team headed by Dr Qihe Xu (Kings College) that summited the EU-China F7 Network Proposal that was the initial concept for this society. I initially headed the Quality Control Work-package. I have taken an active role in different aspects of the quality control of herbs and was invited to join the International Advisory Committee Materia Medica, Hong Kong and I chair the Herbal Advisory Committee for the UK Pharmacopeia Committee. I work with Prof Clara Lau on joint projects and have academic and commercially funded projects on TCM plants in China. I have over 350 scientific publication. I was awarded an OBE (UK honour) for services to science, the environment, technological innovation and community.

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Prof. Xuanbin Wang

Prof. Xuanbin Wang, PhD, director of Hubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese Medicine Research (HBWDCM), and director of Laboratory of Chinese Herbal Pharmacology, Renmin Hospital in Hubei University of Medicine (HBMU), China.

I graduated from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) and got my PhD degree in 2009. Then I started my academic career focusing on Chinese herbal pharmacology including Taoist medicine—Han unique folk medicine. In 2011-2013, I had worked in School of Chinese Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) as a research assistant supervised by Prof. Yibin Feng. In 2018, I studied in LMU Grosshadern Hospital Munich as a visiting scholar co-working with Dr. Minglun Li, vice-director of Department of Radiation Oncology. In November 2023, I was elected as the chairman of Chinese Experimental Pharmacology Branch of China Association of Chinese Medicine (CEPBCACM). My discipline is in the field of Chinese medicines and Taoist folk medicine. I published 161 papers and wrote 12 books (h-index: 25).

I have become life member of GP-TCM RA since July 2017, and BoD member from 2021 to 2024. I have been active in the annual meetings from the 6th to 12th and edited the newsletters as a vice-editor in-chief from 2017-2020, and provided the materials to NL continuously.

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Prof. Vivian Taam Wong

Current Service to Professional Organizations:

  • Hon Professor, School of Chinese Medicine, HKU
  • Vice President, Modernized Chinese Medicine International Association
  • Board of Director, GP-TCM Research Association
  • HK Coordinator, Consortium for Globalization of Chinese Medicine
  • Council Member, Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine
  • Member, International Chinese Medicine Clinical Standards Working Committee, WFCMS

Key Past Appointments:

  • Public Health Specialist, Policy & Research, World Bank
  • Chairman, Committee on Safe Motherhood, International Federation of Gynecology & Obstetrics
  • Consultant on various Committees under WHO
  • Consultant on Health Project IV & VI in China for World Bank
  • Chief Executive, Queen Mary Hospital & Hospital Authority, HK
  • Hon Advisor in Integrative Medicine, Hospital Authority, HK
  • Hon Senior Advisor on Chinese Medicine, Medical Faculty, HKU
She has been on editorial boards of 7 journals, and published >130 peer-reviewed papers.  She set up the unique HK-wide Research Ethics Committee system & standards enabling multicentre trials as well as the high quality network of Chinese Medicine Centres for Training and Research in each district in HK. While steering education, research and knowledge transfer in integrative medicine, she has fostered collaboration among the Government, industry, Universities and researchers to plan a “Greater Bay Area CM Innovation and Trading Park”.

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Dr. Qihe Xu

Dr Qihe Xu, Senior Lecturer in Renal Medicine & Pharmacology; Head, Renal Science & Integrative Chinese Medicine Laboratory; Director of the King’s Centre for Integrative Chinese Medicine (CICM) initiative, King’s College London (aka King’s); Guest Professor of Chengdu and Beijing Universities of Chinese Medicine; winner of the 2020 Qihuang International Prize, China Association of Chinese Medicine.

After a decade of medical practice in Beijing, I started an academic career in London in 1999. In the early 2000s, I was Secretary-General of the Chinese Students & Scholars Association in the UK and President of the Chinese Life Scientists Society in the UK.

In 2009-2012, I was the PI of the FP7 GP-TCM Project, which founded the GP-TCM RA. As a GP-TCM RA Life Member, I have served on the BoD for five terms. I was Vice-President (2012-2014) and Newsletter Editor-in-chief (2017-2019) and am an Associate Editor-in-chief of WJTCM, the official journal of the Association. I’m also a Co-Chair of the GP-TCM RA’s Pharmacology & Toxicology Interest Group.

I am passionate about integrating TCM wisdom into tomorrow’s medicine. My research focuses on TCM-inspired studies of kidney diseases, herbal antifibrotics and botanical nephrotoxicity, and my current main endeavour is to lead King’s CICM to its official launch by 2029, in time for King’s 200th Anniversary celebration.

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Prof. Linda Zhong

Linda Lidan Zhong, MD., Ph.D  is currently Associate Professor and Director of Chinese Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She has worked in Chinese Medicine education, research, and service for more than 20 years with more than 150 SCI research papers (H-index 27) on clinical studies of Chinese Medicine and Integrative medicine, evidence-based approaches, and epidemiological research.
She has designed and conducted more than 50 clinical studies with broad scope of diseases and interventions and successfully obtained 19 clinical research projects as Principal Investigator and edited 10 books of Chinese Medicine and Integrated Medicine. Sha is also the co-chair of interest group in Clinical Studies and Board of Director of International Society for Traditional, Complementary & Integrative Medicine Research (ISCMR).
Her research focuses mainly on integrative medicine and globalization of Chinese Medicine. She is also a Visiting Professor of Integrative Medicine Centre, the University of Toronto, and Visiting Fellow of Australian Research Centre for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, the University of Technology Sydney. In 2020, she was awarded a Qi Huang Young Scholar by the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine in recognition of her excellence in clinical practice and studies of Chinese medicine.

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