May 13, 2008 – As of fall 2008, the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) will train chemists specializing in natural health products. The Bachelor of Science in Natural Products will be a unique program in Canada.
However, this expertise is not new at UQAC, explains Réjean Gagnon, director of the fundamental sciences module: the boreal forest. “
“We had to rethink our program because of a significant drop in attendance in chemistry courses, in all universities in Quebec,” says Réjean Gagnon. “But beware, the new program does not aim to train naturopaths, it remains a scientific training”, he insists.
The training will focus on organic chemistry first, supplemented by a component in botany. Students will become familiar with the identification and anatomy of plants as well as with their chemical composition, active properties and therapeutic potential. At the end of their studies, the new graduates will be accredited by the Ordre des chimistes du Québec. UQAC hopes to welcome around fifteen students for the first year of the program.
“This training in natural product science is a more modern version of studying chemistry,” says Michel Gagnon, chemistry professor who created the new program. This new specialization will allow future graduates to move towards the promotion of natural products in emerging sectors such as cosmetics or household products made from natural substances.
They will also be able to follow more traditional paths such as working in a laboratory for the manufacture of pharmaceutical products or pursuing graduate studies in cutting-edge research. The quality control of natural health products, the regulation of which has been more stringent in recent years in Canada, could be another outlet for graduates of the program.
Emmanuelle Bergeron – PasseportSanté.net
