Purdue News

March 23, 2001 Herbal medicine expert will visit classrooms, present public lecture WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A nationally recognized expert in the medical applications of herbal supplements will be the guest lecturer Thursday (3/29) for veterinary, nursing and medical students at Purdue. Donald Brown, a doctor of naturopathic medicine based in Seattle, Wash., will offer students an overview of herbal supplements in the U.S. marketplace and the role some of them may play in the health care system. He was invited to campus by Dr. Gordon Coppoc, head of Purdue's department of basic medical sciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine and the director of the Lafayette Center for Medical Education. "Herbal supplements are becoming more and more popular, and people trained in medicine are often expected to know something about them," Coppoc said. "With nursing and medical students, the applications are obvious. But veterinarians frequently deal with pet owners who have the attitude that what is good for them must be good for their dog, so this information could be valuable to them as well." The Lafayette Center for Medical Education, headquartered in Lynn Hall on the Purdue campus, allows Indiana University medical students to complete the first two years of their medical degrees in West Lafayette. It is one of eight such satellite sites in the state, and Coppoc says half of every I.U. School of Medicine class takes its first two years of coursework at one of the satellite locations. Other students attend the main medical school campus in Indianapolis. In addition to speaking to students during the day, Brown will give a public lecture at the Kathryn T. Weil Center for Education, 415 N. 26th Street in Lafayette, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The program, "A Consumer's Guide to Herbal Supplements," is free, but registration is required by calling (765) 449-5133. CONTACT: Dr. Gordon Coppoc, (765) 494-8592, coppoc@purdue.edu. NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Dr. Donald Brown will be available for interviews on March 29 as his schedule permits. Contact Dr. David Van Sickle at (765) 494-8623 to make an appointment. Dr. Brown also will be available immediately after his 6:30 p.m. presentation. To the Purdue News and Photos Page