The Columbia University has honored the Foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT), and its founder director and renowned scientist Dr.Darshan Shankar, for their contributions to complementary and alternative medicine.

This is the first time in the history the Columbia University’s complementary medicine and research arm Rosenthal Centre of Columbia University and College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, honors an Indian institution and an Indian scientist for their contributions. The Rosenthal Centre is one among the leading institutions in the field of research and training in alternative, complementary and traditional systems of medicine.

The other awardees are Prince Charles of England for his international leadership to promote alternate medicine, senator Tom Harkan of US for his national leadership in the development of National Institute of Health (NIH), Mary Ann Liebert for scientific publication and Dr.Bruz Pomeranz for scientific research in alternate medicine.

The university is expected to honour the awardees at a function as part of the 10th anniversary of the Rosenthal Centre of Columbia University and College of Physicians & Surgeons, on November, 20 2003 at its New York headquarters.

The Columbia University Award to FRLHT and Dr.Darshan Shankar is for international cultural stewardship. The citation from the University states that FRLHT is being honored for its outstanding contributions to the revitalization of traditional systems of healthcare in India, conservation of medicinal plants in the country and for developing an extensive database on the materia medica of Indian medicinal plants. FRLHT is also commended for establishing a quality control and product development laboratory, and for the efforts to interpret traditional knowledge with the aid of modern tools. The citation commended FRLHT for initiating the development of a national herbarium of medicinal plants used in traditional Indian system of medicine, said sources.

Sam Pitroda as its founder Chairperson and Darshan Shankar as director founded the FRLHT in 1993. Within a decade, FRLHT has achieved both national and international recognition for its performance, including the Norman Borlaug Award in 1998 and in 2002, the United Nations, New York recognized the FRLHT network’s efforts by giving it the Equator Initiative Prize.

FRLHT is currently engaged in developing programme to establish an Ayurvedic Research Hospital, a Research Pharmacy and an International Training Institute for the promotion of the Indian medical heritage.