The Medal of Honor was presented to Near East University Faculty of Pharmacy, Head of Pharmacognosy Department, Prof. Dr. K. Hüsnü Can Başer at the 53rd International Essential Oils Symposium held in Italy. Prof. Dr. Başer also made the opening speech of the 17th OPTIMA Congress held in Italy this year.
The Medal of Honor was presented toHead of the Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Near East University and Director of the Near East University Graduate Education Institute, Prof. Dr. K. Hüsnü Can Başer in Italy. Prof. Dr. K. Hüsnü Can Başer received the Medal of Honor at the 53rd International Essential Oils Symposium held in Milazzo, Italy, on the island of Sicily.
The medal, which was previously given to only 3 scientists, was awarded to Prof. Dr. Başer for his outstanding contributions to the science of essential oils. Following the thank-you speech he made after receiving his medal, Başer also presented his paper titled “Some Thoughts on the Future of Essential Oils” at the symposium. The International Essential Oils Symposium is held in a European city every year. The 51st ISEO was held online in Northern Cyprus on 12-14 November 2021.
Prof. Dr. Hüsnü Can Başer is one of the first names that come to mind in the field of pharmacognosy and is known in the scientific world for his studies on natural products, medicinal and aromatic plants and essential oils. Prof. Dr. Başer added the ‘ISEO Medal of Honor’ to the awards he received from many institutions throughout his career. Prof. Dr. Başer is the owner of prestigious awards including TUBITAK Science Award, IFEAT Distinguished Service Medal, ISHS Medal, Golden Mortar Distinguished Service Award, Turkish Pharmacists Association Lifetime Honor Award. Prof. Dr. Başer’s book “Essential Oils Handbook: Science, Technology and Applications” was selected as the “Book of the Year” in the USA and was deemed worthy of the Excellence Award.
He also made the opening speech of the 17th OPTIMA Congress
Following the 53rd International Essential Oils Symposium held in Milazzo, Italy, he attended the 17th OPTIMA Congress organized by the Organization for the Phyto-Taxonomic Investigation of the Mediterranean Area (OPTIMA) in the cities of Palermo and Erice on the island of Sicily, Italy. Prof. Dr. K. Hüsnü Can Başer gave the opening speech of the congress titled “Science, Technology and Uses of Essential Oils: Yesterday and Today”. Proposal of Prof. Dr. Başer, who is also a member of OPTIMA’s Scientific Committee and International Executive Committee, to hold the 18th OPTIMA Congress in Cappadocia in 2026, was unanimously accepted.
Prof. Dr. İrfan Suat Günsel: “For this meaningful award, which is one of the important indicators of the value he added to the world of science and the Near East University, I congratulate our teacher Prof. Dr. K. Hüsnü Can Başer.”
Emphasizing that Prof. Dr. K. Hüsnü Can Başer has made great contributions to the science of the country and the world with the publications he has signedmade, the books he has written and the students he has educated, Near East University Board of Trustees Chairman Prof. Dr. İrfan Suat Günsel said, “We are very pleased that one of the most distinguished academicians of our university, Prof. Dr. K. Hüsnü Can Başer was presented with the Medal of Honor in Italy for his contributions to world science.”
Touching on the importance Near East University attaches to scientific production and the support it provides to scientists in their research, Prof. Dr. İrfan Suat Günsel said, “I congratulate our teacher Prof. Dr. K. Hüsnü Can Başer for this meaningful award, which is one of the important indicators of the value he added to the world of science and the Near East University.”
Head of the Department of Pharmacognosy and Director of the Near East University Graduate Education Institute, Prof. Dr. K. Hüsnü Can Başer published more than 1300 articles in international peer-reviewed journals with the projects he developed and carried out throughout his career. Prof. Dr. Başer has compiled 61 books during his career and many of Başer’s books were also published in England, Japan and the USA. Prof. Dr. Başer is the editor or editorial board member of many international scientific journals. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Başer, 19 master’s and 10 doctoral theses were completed. With an H-index of 87, Prof. Dr. Başer’s publications were cited 38,772 times. According to the latest international indexes, Prof. Dr. Başer ranks sixth in all of Cyprus and first in the TRNC and Near East University. Prof. Dr. Başer recently made a significant contribution to the pharmacy profession with “Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy”, the first book written in this field after half a century, together with Prof. Dr. Neşe Kırımer.