2011 Distinguished Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

Albert Y. Leung, MSPharm’65, PhD’67, is an internationally renowned author and pharmacognosist (a scientist who specializes in botanical medicine and the study of herbs). Leung is one of a handful of scientists in the world who has the unique training, experience, and knowledge to correctly identify botanical raw materials and to produce high-quality traditional extracts using modern technology. Born and raised in Hong Kong under the holistic practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), he earned a BS in pharmacy from the National Taiwan University. Leung then immigrated to the U.S. to complement his knowledge of TCM with Western scientific training. He completed his graduate study at the U-M College of Pharmacy under the direction of  Ara G. Paul, PhD, Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Pharmacognosy.

For over 30 years, Leung has been an advocate of product quality in the herbal industry, and is known and respected for his informed, no-nonsense approach to botanical medicines. This approach is clearly reflected in his publications. Since 1996, he has been editor of Leung’s (Chinese) Herb News, a newsletter that has positively impacted research and product quality in the herbal field. Leung is the founder of Phyto-Technologies, Inc. and Earth Power, Inc., two companies specializing in medicines derived from natural products. He also is the creator of PhytoChi®, a proprietary blend of 16 authentic herbs; and is the developer of Representative Botanical Reference/ Research Materials™, a first-step resource in the research and manufacture of traditional Chinese medicines.