The International Propolis Research Group
Despite training as a lawyer James Fearnley has spent the last 30 years involved with researching and manufacturing natural medicines derived from both from the beehive and from plants. For the last 20 years he has focussed on trying to understand the remarkable properties of propolis, a resinous product used by the bee to keep the hive free from infection.
Over this period he has carried out research at the universities of Oxford, Manchester, Strathclyde York and Bradford and has published a number of peer reviewed articles. He is author of Bee Propolis: Natural Healing from the Hive and Propolis in Oral Healthcare with Dr. Phil Wander.
Assist. Prof. Dr. Ali Timucin Atayoglu is a consultant medical doctor and a lecturer in Medipol University in Istanbul, Turkey. He is the president of the International Federation of Apitherapy. He has established the first Apitherapy Centre affiliated with a university hospital in the country. He works as the coordinator for the studies in Traditional and Complementary Medicine in the medical faculty. He has been interested in holistic medicine since he was a student in the medical school. After his elective studies in London, UK in 1997-1998 he returned to Istanbul and continued his studies in Integrative Medicine.
He is currently the president of Apitherapy Association in Turkey and the vice-chairman of Apitherapy Commission in China. He is a member of the Scientific Committee for the Traditional & Complementary Medical Practices in the Turkish Health Ministry. He is also the chairman of the Holistic and Integrative Medicine Association in Turkey.
Vassya Bankova obtained her PhD in Natural Product Chemistry at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia. She has worked as a guest-researcher at the Ruhr University – Bochum, the University of Saarland, Saarbruecken, the Bandeirante University, Sao Paulo, and the Institute of Molecules of Biological Interest, Naples. In 2004 she became full professor at the Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, where she is now head of Lab “Chemistry of Natural Substances”.
Biochemical Pharmacist, with master, doctor and pos-doctoral degree by Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo (FCFRP/USP)
Vice-President of ABEMEL since 2016 (Brazilian Association of Honey Exporters)
Head of Research, Development and Innovation, member of Directors Board and Pharmacist Responsible at Apis Flora Indl. Coml. Ltda - Propolis Leader Company in Brazil (IMS Health, 2018)
More than 32 scientific articles, 5 book chapters and 7 patents until 2019, Sep.
Miguel Vilas-Boas is a PhD in Chemistry from Porto University, Professor in Chemistry of Natural Products and actual Director of the Agrarian School of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Portugal. As a researcher in the Mountain Research Centre his goals are focused on beekeeping technology, organic beekeeping and particularly in the quality evaluation of bee products. He has published more than forty books and papers in international indexed journals and presented more than two hundred and twenty communications in national and international meetings. Currently, he is the leader of the propolis group at the International Honey Commission, Vice-President of the scientific commission on beekeeping technology and quality of APIMONDIA and the Portuguese representative in the ISO committee for bee products standardization.
Janko Božič teaches several courses in the field of animal behaviour and beekeeping at the University of Lublijana. His research is focused on honeybee physiology related to the different behaviour stages. That includes basic investigations of social communication as well related topics with beekeeping technology and bee products. Part of that are also investigation of behaviour and physiological background of collection and processing of the materials for different kind of bee products, including propolis.
Along with teaching animal behavior and beekeeping lab at the University, I’m a leader of our Beekeeping center that is kind of central hub for all activities in bees, bee product and beekeeping technology by different groups at the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana. I’m also the principal investigator for the applicative project about chestnut honey quality for medical use. My group is also taking part in Interreg Italy-Slovenia project with acronym BEE-DIVERSITY, where we are trying to use bees and beekeepers to promote and comanage biodiversity. From professional view as a beekeeper, I’m also involved in different bodies inside Beekeeping association and governmental beekeeping activities. Special function is also being a president of examination committee for beekeeping master in Slovenia.
Stefan Stangaciu is a medical doctor who has devoted most of his life to developing and supporting Apitherapy – the therapeutic use of bee products.
He is an active teacher and broadcaster, writing and delivering courses and talks on Apitherapy round the world bringing to Apitherapy a level of medical recognition to this age old but medicine.
He is Secretary General of the International Federation of Apitherapy and has founded / co-founded chaired or been a board member of many Apitherapy Associations including those in America, Germany, and in his home country Romania where he has been very influential.
Publications include: Soft Healing Through Bee Products, Gentle Healing with Honey, Propolis and Beeswax and Good Health with the Bees.
Prof Anant Paradkar is the current Director of the Centre for Pharmaceutical Engineering Science at Bradford University. He is a highly experienced natural product researcher and formulator, with special interest in the health promoting benefits of Turmeric and Propolis.
Adrien Thibault is an artist, natural healer, speaker, passionate about life, holistic education, and health.
His work is to understand the relationship between Bees and Health from the definition of Dr. Bill Hettler of the U.S. National Wellness Institute: seven dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, intellectual, environmental, social, occupational, and spiritual.
He studied stained glass and organized exhibitions in Europe, travelled in Canada to experience Holistic Education at I.D.E.A.L. society where he became an executive director, graduated from A.C.O.S. in Nelson BC, with a Doctorate in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
He co-founded the Canadian Apitherapy Association and was the first president.
Biochemistry Pharmacists 1984) with Master’s degree (1996) and PhD in Pharmacology from the Federal University of Santa Catarina and Maximilian University Munich ( 2005) Coordinator of the Pharmacy course at UNISUL ( 1996-2006) and the Pharmacy course at UNIVBAVE (2006-2010). Coordinator of the Biomedicine Research and Development Group in the Professional \ Masters \program in Pharmacy at UNIBAN 2006-2016) Coordinator of Medical Specialisation LEX/SEPE courses in Clinical phytotherapy and Clinical Pharmacy in the MT Classes (2012 – current). CEO and Business Director of the Medical Lex Information Management and Courses Ltda. Has experience in the field fo Pharmacology, with emphasis in Pharmacology and Molecular of Medicinal Plants. Working mainly in fields related to the mechanism of action of Medicinal Plants and Natural Products, Inflammation and its pharmacodynamic mechanisms.
Dr Felix Zulhendri, Ph.D is the owner and operator of Kebun Efi. Kebun Efi is an award-nominated agritourism company located in North Sumatra, Indonesia, that focuses on developing bee products; propolis in particular and nomadic-style tourism. Prior to managing Kebun Efi, Felix spent most of his professional career in New Zealand in the R&D and Patents Law fields.
Badiaa Lyoussi is Professor, Director of Research, Head of Laboratory Physiology- Pharmacology-Environmental Health at the University of Fez Morocco
Badiaa has over 30 years’ experience in the physiopathology and pharmacology of natural products - medicinal plants and bee products.
She has more than 120 scientific publications and chapters in books in the following areas
Marla Spivak, Ph.D., is a MacArthur Fellow and Distinguished McKnight University Professor in Entomology in the College of Food, Agricultural and and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota. She also leads the Spivak Honey Bee Lab.
Spivak’s current research includes studies of the benefits of propolis (tree resins) to the health and immune system of honey bees; the identification and biological activity of honey bee collected resins; the development of “bee lawns”—pollinator habitat in urban landscapes; the use of native forbs by honey bees through identification of collected pollen and decoding bees’ dance language; the health of commercial honey bee colonies and the evaluation of queens' breeders efforts to select stocks for resistance to diseases and mite pests; novel methods to control Varroa mites in honey bee colonies; and surveys of native bees in Minnesota.
