BPRA BOARD MEMBER
Michael Balick, PhD
Dr. Michael J. Balick joined the staff of the New York Botanical Garden in 1980, and is Senior Philecology Curator and Vice President and Director, Center for Plants, People and Culture. He is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of ethnobotany, the study of the relationship between plants, people and culture. Most of his research is in remote regions of the tropics, where he works with Indigenous cultures to document plant diversity, knowledge of its traditional utilization, the preservation of cultural memory and evaluation of the potential of botanical resources for broader application and use. He has worked closely with health care professionals to evaluate medicinal and other useful plants for local use as well as introducing these species into more widespread use, particularly through the clinical practice of integrative medicine. His past research sites have included the Amazon Valley, Central and South America, The Middle East and Southeast Asia. His most recent scientific research focuses on the tropical Pacific Islands of Micronesia and Melanesia.
A prolific writer, teacher and public speaker, Dr. Balick has authored over 175 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, and authored or edited 31 scientific and general interest books. His 2020 book, Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants, 3rd Edition (with Lewis S. Nelson, MD), is the standard reference for Emergency Department physicians addressing cases of suspected plant poisonings, and that same year he published Plants, People and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany (with Paul A. Cox), used as a textbook in many ethnobotany courses.
Dr. Balick has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors in recognition of his accomplishments, including the David Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration; The H. Marc Cathey Award from the American Horticultural Society; the Rachel Carson Award of the Natural Products Association; the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Writing Fellowship: the International Scientific Cooperation Award of The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); as well as honorary MD and Ph.D. degrees.
He received his B.Sc. from the University of Delaware and his A.M, and Ph.D. from Harvard University, where he also attended the Harvard Graduate School of Business. He holds adjunct teaching positions at Columbia University, City University of New York, and The University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine.