Prof. Dulal Panda, Director, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali, announced the Curtain Raiser Program for the 13th International Congress of the Society for Ethnopharmacology and International Conference on Translational Research in Ethnopharmacology – Integrating Traditional Medicine in Modern Healthcare (SFEC-ICTRE-2026), scheduled to be held from 26–28 February 2026.
In his address, Prof. Panda stated that the international conference will bring together researchers, academicians, clinicians, industry experts, traditional medicine practitioners, and policymakers from across the globe to deliberate on the scientific validation of traditional knowledge, translational research, and its effective integration into modern healthcare systems.
He described the Curtain Raiser as the formal initiation of conference activities and highlighted NIPER’s commitment to promoting interdisciplinary research, evidence-based traditional medicine, and global collaboration to address contemporary healthcare challenges through scientifically validated natural and traditional therapeutic approaches.
During the program, Prof. Sanjay Jachak, Organizing Secretary of SFEC-ICTRE-2026, presented an overview of the conference to be hosted at NIPER, Mohali, highlighting the central theme “AI & Ethnopharmacology in Translational Research.” He outlined key academic and outreach initiatives, including the Traditional Healers’ Meet, Industry-Connect Program, and AYUSH Mini-Symposium, emphasizing the conference’s focus on translating traditional knowledge into scientifically validated healthcare solutions.
Prof. Pulok Mukerjee highlighted the vast potential of natural products and provided an overview of the Society for Ethnopharmacology (SFE), Kolkata. He emphasized SFE’s role in motivating students, scholars, and scientists to pursue ethnopharmacology, noting that SFE-India, with its 18 chapters, over 2,000 members, 12 years of experience, and 50+ global outreach programs, has significantly contributed to advancing the field.
He stressed the collective responsibility to transform ancestral knowledge into safe, effective, and scientifically credible healthcare solutions while globalizing local knowledge and localizing global technologies. Dr. Sumit Srivastava, Principal, Sri Dhanvantri Ayurvedic College and Hospital, Chandigarh, highlighted the importance of the “bench-to-bedside” approach and emphasized that collaboration between clinicians and institutions like NIPER can effectively translate research into clinical practice.