Norman R. Farnsworth, distinguished professor of pharmacognosy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, died Sept. 10. He was 81.
Farnsworth, who directed UIC’s Program for Collaborative Research, was a pioneer who spent more than 50 years studying the medicinal properties of natural plant products.
Farnsworth served on the UIC faculty for more than 40 years and as head of pharmacognosy for 12 years. Jerry Bauman, dean of the UIC College of Pharmacy, said Farnsworth’s recruitment from the University of Pittsburgh brought a “culture of sophisticated research” that has persisted.
“We are consistently rated one of the top five research colleges of pharmacy in the United States, and that can be traced back to Norm,” Bauman said. “When he came to UIC, it transformed us from being predominantly a teaching-oriented institution to one making major scientific contributions that complement our educational programs. Norm had the ability to recruit extremely talented colleagues and get them to work collaboratively toward common research and scientific goals.”
In 1982, Farnsworth became director of UIC’s Program for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, an internationally renowned center for the study of biologically active natural products. The center was established to unite faculty within the University of Illinois system in the biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences.
Under Farnsworth’s direction, UIC’s department of medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy in 1999 became one of six research centers established by the National Institutes of Health to study dietary supplements. Investigations at the UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research focuses on products that may improve women’s health and quality of life, specifically in the areas of menopause, premenstrual syndrome and persistent urinary tract infections.
Along with the NIH, Farnsworth’s research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, industry and private donations. His research led to more than 500 scientific publications and reviews.
Farnsworth continued to play a pivotal role in the field of pharmacognosy until his death. He was a longtime member of the World Health Organization Expert Advisory Panel on Traditional Medicine and was director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Traditional Medicine Program at the UIC College of Pharmacy. He also served as editor-in-chief of the Natural Products Alert Database (NAPralert), a system he established in 1975.
NAPralert is a collection of more than 150,000 scientific articles available on-line and serves as an important resource for scientists.
Throughout his distinguished career, Farnsworth was the recipient of numerous awards. In 2005 he was awarded the Research Achievement Award from the American Society of Pharmacognosy. The following year he received the North American Menopausal Society/Enzymatic Therapy Botanicals Research Award for his contributions to understanding the role of botanical therapies in the health of peri- and postmenopausal women.
In 2010, Farnsworth and 18 other research scientists who serve on the PDQ Complementary and Alternative Medicine Editorial Board were selected to receive a Merit Award from the NIH.
He also served on the National Research Council’s Committee on Comparative Toxicity of Naturally Occurring Carcinogens, on President Bill Clinton’s Commission on Dietary Supplements Labels, and as the first vice president and second president of the American Society of Pharmacognosy.
Farnsworth was born in Massachusetts and was a veteran of the Korean War, drafted into the Army infantry at 18 in 1949. Seriously wounded the following winter, he was awarded the Korean Ribbon with Four Battle Stars, the Combat Medical Badge, and the Bronze Star with a “V” device.
Farnsworth received a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. He also holds three honorary doctorates and three honorary professorships in the U.S. and abroad.
Farnsworth is survived by his wife, Priscilla; one brother, Bruce; and nieces and nephews.
A service will be held in Chicago on Sept. 14. A second service will be held Sept. 16 in his native Lynn, Mass. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be directed to the University of Illinois Foundation/University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Pharmacy, for the Norman R. Farnsworth Endowed Professorship in medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy.
Note: Photos are online at newsphoto.lib.uic.edu/v/Farnsworth .
Medicinal Plant Researcher Norman Farnsworth, 1930-2011 | Chicago Press Release Services – Chicago’s leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.
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