About

Dr. Jillian De Gezelle is an ethnobotanist and Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at North Carolina State University.  Jillian’s research focuses on medicinal and edible plants, systems of traditional medicine, plants of spiritual significance, and biocultural diversity conservation in the Americas.  She has a BA in Biology from Reed College, and a PhD in Biology, from the joint Plant Sciences program between the New York Botanical Garden and the City University of New York.  She has been teaching university level courses in ethnobotany and botany since 2005, and has been bringing students and volunteer groups to Panama and Belize since 2012.  She is the author of a book, based on her doctoral research, on Q’eqchi’ Maya Reproductive Ethnomedicine, and was an editorial contributor for her mentor, Michael Balick’s book, Messages from the Gods: A Guide to the Useful Plants of Belize.