Ina Vandebroek
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Ina Vandebroek is an
ethnobotanist Ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary field at the interface of natural and social sciences that studies the relationships between humans and plants. It focuses on traditional knowledge of how plants are used, managed, and perceived in human societi ...
working in the areas of
floristics Floristics is the study of plants of geographical regions. It is a branch of phytogeography, which technically makes it a branch of botany, geography, and a subbranch of biogeography. Harvard University has a history of research with early contr ...
,
ethnobotany Ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary field at the interface of natural and social sciences that studies the relationships between humans and plants. It focuses on traditional knowledge of how plants are used, managed, and perceived in human socie ...
and
community health Community health refers to non-treatment based health services that are delivered outside Hospital, hospitals and Clinic, clinics. Community health is a subset of public health that is taught to and practiced by Clinician, clinicians as part of th ...
. Since 2005, she has worked at the
New York Botanical Garden The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is a botanical garden at Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. Established in 1891, it is located on a site that contains a landscape with over one million living plants; the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, ...
in the Institute of Economic Botany. She has worked on ethnobotanical projects in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
, the
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
, and
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
.


Education

In 1991, Vandebroek received a BSc. in biology from
Ghent University Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a Public university, public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting o ...
in Belgium with research in the fields of
morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
and
systematics Systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: phylogenetic trees, phylogenies). Phy ...
. Her undergraduate dissertation was on the effects of
naloxone Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan among others, is an opioid antagonist, a medication used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids. For example, it is used to restore breathing after an opioid overdose. Effects begin within two ...
and
apomorphine Apomorphine, sold under the brand name Apokyn among others, is a type of aporphine having activity as a non- selective dopamine agonist which activates both D2-like and, to a much lesser extent, D1-like receptors. It also acts as an antago ...
on captivity-induced stereotyped behavior in the
bank vole The bank vole (''Clethrionomys glareolus'') is a small vole with red-brown fur and some grey patches, with a tail about half as long as its body. A rodent, it lives in woodland areas and is around in length. The bank vole is found in much of Eu ...
(''
Clethrionomys glareolus The bank vole (''Clethrionomys glareolus'') is a small vole with red-brown fur and some grey patches, with a tail about half as long as its body. A rodent, it lives in woodland areas and is around in length. The bank vole is found in much of Eu ...
''). In 1998, she received a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from Ghent University with a graduate dissertation titled "Research into the neurobiochemical background of captivity-induced stereotyped behavior in the
bank vole The bank vole (''Clethrionomys glareolus'') is a small vole with red-brown fur and some grey patches, with a tail about half as long as its body. A rodent, it lives in woodland areas and is around in length. The bank vole is found in much of Eu ...
(
Clethrionomys glareolus The bank vole (''Clethrionomys glareolus'') is a small vole with red-brown fur and some grey patches, with a tail about half as long as its body. A rodent, it lives in woodland areas and is around in length. The bank vole is found in much of Eu ...
):
ethopharmacology Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between ...
and intra-cerebral
microdialysis Microdialysis is a minimally-invasive sampling technique that is used for continuous measurement of free, unbound analyte concentrations in the extracellular fluid of virtually any tissue. Analytes may include endogenous molecules (e.g. neurotra ...
".


Career


Ghent University

From 2000 until 2002, Vandebroek worked as a
postdoctoral researcher A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...
and was the lead researcher on a project funded by the Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology of the Belgian government through Ghent University. The project was based in
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
and known as "Medicinal Plant Explorations in the
Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...
and
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
Regions of Bolivia
Ethnographic Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...
and
ethnobotanical Ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary field at the interface of natural and social sciences that studies the relationships between humans and plants. It focuses on traditional knowledge of how plants are used, managed, and perceived in human societi ...
research was conducted in a traditional farming community in the Andes and in indigenous communities in the Amazon in Bolivia." She summarized the results as follows. "The results demonstrated that knowledge held by traditional healers about medicinal plants can also be high in an environment such as the Andes that is significantly affected by human activity and is less diverse as compared to the tropical rainforest. In the Amazon, knowledge about medicinal plants was inversely related to the use of pharmaceutical products and to distance from Western primary healthcare services." Outreach activities associated with this research project included two community guidebooks in Spanish that were developed to return research results to the communities to help preserve their cultural heritage.


The New York Botanical Garden

In 2005, Vandebroek joined
The New York Botanical Garden The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is a botanical garden at Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. Established in 1891, it is located on a site that contains a landscape with over one million living plants; the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a ...
as a postdoctoral research associate in the Institute of Economic Botany. From 2005 until 2010 she worked on projects related to the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
. Most notably, she directed "Dominican Ethnomedicine and Culturally Effective Health Care in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
" (principal investigator: Michael Balick) and "Dominican Traditional Medicine for Urban Community Health". These projects focused on the question of what happens to the medicinal plant knowledge that people from the Dominican Republic have once they move to New York City. The research found that medicinal plant knowledge was not lost by this community after migration; in fact, the importance of food as medicine became even greater within this relocated population. Vandebroek drew upon her research during this time for her 2007 book, ''Traveling Cultures and Plants: The Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacy of Human Migrations,'' which she co-edited with
Andrea Pieroni Andrea Pieroni (born 1967) is a professor of ethnobotany and ethnobiology at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy, of which he was rector until 2021. Biography Pieroni took a masters in pharmacy from the University of ...
and authored chapters with others. From 2010 until 2014 Vandebroek worked as an
Ethnomedical Ethnomedicine is a study or comparison of the traditional medicine based on bioactive compounds in plants and animals and practiced by various ethnic groups, especially those with little access to western medicines, e.g., indigenous peoples. The ...
Research Specialist at the
New York Botanical Garden The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is a botanical garden at Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. Established in 1891, it is located on a site that contains a landscape with over one million living plants; the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, ...
. She directed "Improving Healthcare for Underserved Immigrant Latino Communities in New York City," "Cultural Competency Training for Health Care Professionals in Latino Ethnomedical Systems in New York City," "Dominican Ethnomedicine and Culturally Effective Health Care in New York City," and "Dominican Traditional Medicine for Urban Community Health." From 2014 until the present day, Vandebroek has been the
Matthew Calbraith Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a United States Navy officer who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War. He led the Perry Expedition that Bakumatsu, ended Japan ...
Assistant Curator of
Economic Botany Economic botany is the study of the relationship between people (individuals and cultures) and plants. Economic botany intersects many fields including established disciplines such as agronomy, anthropology, archaeology, chemistry, economics, ethn ...
and Caribbean Program Director at the New York Botanical Garden. In this capacity, she directs the Caribbean and Latino Ethnomedicine Program, which investigates and compares the use of medicinal plants for healthcare by Latino and Caribbean communities living in New York City and their countries of origin.
Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...
,
Puerto Ricans Puerto Ricans (), most commonly known as Puerto Rico#Etymology, Boricuas, but also occasionally referred to as '':es:Anexo:Gentilicios de Puerto Rico#Lista general, Borinqueños'', '':es:Anexo:Gentilicios de Puerto Rico#Lista general, Borincan ...
,
Mexicans Mexicans () are the citizens and nationals of the Mexico, United Mexican States. The Mexican people have varied origins with the most spoken language being Spanish language, Spanish, but many also speak languages from 68 different Languages o ...
,
Jamaicans Jamaicans are the citizens of Jamaica and their descendants in the Jamaican diaspora. The vast majority of Jamaicans are of Sub-Saharan African descent, with minorities of Europeans, Indians, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and others of mixed a ...
are the central populations involved in these research studies. She and her team study wild and cultivated plants that are used culturally as medicines and foods, as well as "folk illnesses," and how they are related to mainstream
biomedicine Biomedicine (also referred to as Western medicine, mainstream medicine or conventional medicine)
, in terms of the biological efficacy and safety of these plants, and the gap in biomedical knowledge about illnesses with a strong cultural component. The project aims to use research results in order to develop materials used for
medical education Medical education is vocational education, education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, including the initial training to become a physician (i.e., medical school and internship (medical), internship) and additional trainin ...
. She has been interviewed about her work on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
,
WNBC WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey†...
,
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
,
The Smithsonian Magazine ''Smithsonian'' is a magazine covering science, history, art, popular culture and innovation. The first issue was published in 1970. History The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' magazine, ...
,
National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
's ''The Plate'' and ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''.


Other work

Vandebroek is also a lecturer at the
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies Yale School of the Environment (YSE) is a professional school of Yale University. It was founded to train foresters, and now trains environmental students through four 2-year degree programs ( Master of Environmental Management, Master of Environ ...
and an adjunct member of the
City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...
Biology Doctoral Faculty Plant Sciences Subprogram at (
The Graduate Center, CUNY The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY Graduate Center) is a public research institution and postgraduate university in New York City. Formed in 1961 as Division of Graduate Studies at City University ...
). Vandebroek is Deputy Editor for the ''Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine'', Associate Editor for ''
Economic Botany Economic botany is the study of the relationship between people (individuals and cultures) and plants. Economic botany intersects many fields including established disciplines such as agronomy, anthropology, archaeology, chemistry, economics, ethn ...
'', and Editorial Board Member for ''Ethnobiology and Conservation''. She has been a council member for professional societies, including the International Society of Ethnobiology from 2008 to 2010, and the
Society for Economic Botany The Society for Ethnobotany (formerly Society for Economic Botany) is an international learned society covering the fields of ethnobotany and economic botany. It was established in 1959. In 2022 the Society voted to change its name from the Socie ...
from 2010 to 2013.


Selected publications


Books

* * * *


Selected peer-reviewed journal articles

* * * Van Andel, Tinde, Hugo J. de Boer, Joanne Barnes & Ina Vandebroek (2014). Medicinal plants used for menstrual disorders in Latin America, the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia and their uterine properties: A review. ''Journal of Ethnopharmacology'' 155: 992–1000. * Vandebroek, Ina & Michael J. Balick (2014) Lime for Chest Congestion, Bitter Orange for Diabetes: Foods as Medicines in the Dominican Community in New York City. ''Economic Botany'' 68: 177–189. * Hanazaki, Natalia, Dannieli Firme Herbst, Mel Simionato Marques & Ina Vandebroek (2013) Evidence of the shifting baseline syndrome in ethnobotanical research. ''Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine'' 9: 75. * Vandebroek, Ina (2013) Intercultural health and ethnobotany: How to improve healthcare for underserved and minority communities? ''Journal of Ethnopharmacology'' 148: 746–754. * Van Andel, Tinde, Sylvia Mitchell, Gabriele Volpato, Ina Vandebroek, Jorik Swier, Sofie Ruysschaert, Carlos Ariel Rentería Jiménez & Niels Raas (2012). In search of the perfect aphrodisiac: Parallel use of bitter tonics in West Africa and the Caribbean. ''Journal of Ethnopharmacology'' 143: 840–850. * Henderson, Flor, Ina Vandebroek, Michael J. Balick & Edward J. Kennelly (2012) Ethnobotanical research skills for students of underrepresented minorities in STEM disciplines. ''Ethnobotany Research & Applications'' 10: 389–402. * Mathez-Stiefel, Sarah-Lan, Ina Vandebroek & Stephan Rist (2012) Can Andean medicine coexist with biomedical healthcare? A comparison of two rural communities in Peru and Bolivia. ''Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine'' 8: 26 * Vandebroek, Ina & Michael J. Balick (2012) Globalization and loss of plant knowledge: Challenging the paradigm. ''PloS ONE'' 7: 5 * Mathez-Stiefel, Sarah-Lan & Ina Vandebroek (2012) Distribution and Transmission of Medicinal Plant Knowledge in the Andean Highlands: A Case Study from Peru and Bolivia. ''Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine'' 2012 * Ceuterick, Melissa, Ina Vandebroek & Andrea Pieroni (2011) Resilience of Andean urban ethnobotanies. A comparison of medicinal plant use among Bolivian and Peruvian migrants in the United Kingdom and in their countries of origin. ''Journal of Ethnopharmacology'' 136: 27–54. * Thomas, Evert, David Douterlungne, Ina Vandebroek, Frieke Heens, Paul Goetghebeur & Patrick Van Damme (2011) Human impact on wild firewood species in the rural Andes community of Apillapampa, Bolivia. ''Environmental Monitoring and Assessment'' 178: 333–347. * Vandebroek, Ina, Victoria Reyes-García, Ulysses Paulino de Albuquerque, Rainer W. Bussmann & Andrea Pieroni (2011) Local knowledge: Who cares? Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 7: 35 * Vandebroek, Ina (2010) The dual intracultural and intercultural relationship between medicinal plant knowledge and consensus. Economic Botany 64: 303–317. * Vandebroek, Ina, Michael J. Balick, Andreana Ososki, Fredi Kronenberg, Jolene Yukes, Christine Wade, Francisco Jiménez, Brígido Peguero & Daisy Castillo (2010) The importance of botellas and other plant mixtures in Dominican traditional medicine. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 128: 20–41. * Keller, Amy, Ina Vandebroek, Youping Liu, Michael J. Balick, Fredi Kronenberg, Edward J. Kennelly & Anne-Marie B. Brillantes (2009). Costus spicatus tea failed to improve diabetic progression in C57BLKS/J db/db mice, a model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. ''Journal of Ethnopharmacology'' 121: 248–254 * Thomas, Evert, Ina Vandebroek & Patrick Van Damme (2009) Valuation of forests and plant species in Indigenous Territory and National Park Isiboro-Sécure, Bolivia. ''Economic Botany'' 63: 229–241. * Thomas, Evert, Ina Vandebroek, Patrick Van Damme, Lucio Semo & Zacaria Noza (2009) Susto etiology and treatment according to Bolivian Trinitario people: a "masters of the animal species" phenomenon. ''Medical Anthropology Quarterly'' 23: 298–319. * Thomas, Evert, Ina Vandebroek, Patrick Van Damme, Paul Goetghebeur, David Douterlungne, Sabino Sanca & Susana Arrazola (2009) The relation between accessibility, diversity and indigenous valuation of vegetation in the Bolivian Andes. ''Journal of Arid Environments'' 73: 854–861. * Thomas, Evert, Ina Vandebroek, Sabino Sanca & Patrick Van Damme (2009) Cultural significance of medicinal plant families and species among Quechua farmers in Apillapampa, Bolivia. ''Journal of Ethnopharmacology'' 122: 60–67. * Vandebroek, Ina, Evert Thomas, Sabino Sanca, Patrick Van Damme, Luc Van Puyvelde & Norbert De Kimpe (2008) Comparison of health conditions treated with traditional and biomedical healthcare in a Quechua community in rural Bolivia. ''Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine'' 4:1. * Ceuterick, Melissa, Ina Vandebroek, Bren Torry & Andrea Pieroni (2008) Cross-cultural adaptation in urban ethnobotany: The Colombian folk pharmacopoeia in London. ''Journal of Ethnopharmacology'' 120: 342–359. * Thomas, Evert, Ina Vandebroek, Patrick Van Damme, Paul Goetghebeur, Sabino Sanca & Susana Arrazola (2008) The Relationship between Plant Use and Plant Diversity in the Bolivian Andes, with Special Reference to Medicinal Plant Use. ''Human Ecology'' 36: 861- 861–879 * Thomas, Evert, Ina Vandebroek & Patrick Van Damme (2007). What works in the field? A comparison of different interviewing methods in ethnobotany with special reference to the use of photographs. ''Economic Botany'' 61: 376–384. * Bussmann, Rainer W., Douglas Sharon, Ina Vandebroek, Ana Jones & Zachary Revene (2007). Health for sale: The medicinal plant markets in Trujillo and Chiclayo, Northern Peru. ''Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine'' 3:37. * Delanoy, Marleen, Xavier Scheldeman, Ina Vandebroek, Patrick Van Damme & Stephan Beck (2007) Small-scale Cultivation of Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa and Passiflora ligularis in the Yungas of La Paz, Bolivia. ''Belgian Journal of Botany'' 140: 150–160. * Pieroni, Andrea, Lisa Leimar Price & Ina Vandebroek (2005) Welcome to the Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (Editorial). ''Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine'' 1:1 * Vandebroek, Ina, Patrick Van Damme, Luc Van Puyvelde, Susana Arrazola & Norbert De Kimpe (2004) A comparison of traditional healers' medicinal plant knowledge in the Bolivian Andes and Amazon. ''Social Science & Medicine'' 59: 837–849 * Vandebroek, Ina, Jan-Bart Calewaert, Stijn De Jonckheere, Sabino Sanca, Lucio Semo, Patrick Van Damme, Luc Van Puyvelde & Norbert De Kimpe (2004) Use of medicinal plants and pharmaceuticals by indigenous communities in the Bolivian Andes and Amazon. ''Bulletin of the World Health Organization'' 82: 243–250 (IF 2,4). Leading article in the Research Section. * De Cupere, Françoise, Ina Vandebroek, Mayra Puentes, Sinesio Torres & Patrick Van Damme (2001) Evaluation of vegetal extracts as biological herbi- and pesticides for their use in Cuban agriculture. Mededelingen / Universiteit Gent, Faculteit Landbouwkundige en Toegepaste Biologische Wetenschappen (Currently ''Communications in Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences'') 66/2a: 455–462.


References


External links


Ina Vandebroek
at
New York Botanical Garden The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is a botanical garden at Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. Established in 1891, it is located on a site that contains a landscape with over one million living plants; the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, ...

Ina Vandebroek
at
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies Yale School of the Environment (YSE) is a professional school of Yale University. It was founded to train foresters, and now trains environmental students through four 2-year degree programs ( Master of Environmental Management, Master of Environ ...
,
Ina Vandebroek
at
Graduate Center, CUNY The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY Graduate Center) is a public research institution and postgraduate university in New York City. Formed in 1961 as Division of Graduate Studies at City University ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vandebroek, Ina 20th-century American botanists 21st-century American botanists Ethnobotanists Living people American women botanists Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American women scientists 21st-century American women scientists