Ina Vandebroek records

Dr. Ina Vandebroek is an ethnobotanist working in the areas of floristics, ethnobotany, and community health. She received a B.S. in Biology from Ghent University, Belgium, in 1991, with research focused on morphology and systematics. In 1998, she completed her Ph.D. in Medical Sciences at Ghent University, where her dissertation examined the neurobiochemical basis of captivity-induced stereotyped behavior in the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus).

In 2005, Dr. Vandebroek joined The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) as a postdoctoral research associate in the Institute of Economic Botany. From 2005 to 2010, her research centered on Dominican ethnomedicine and immigrant health in New York City, including direction of the projects “Dominican Ethnomedicine and Culturally Effective Health Care in New York City” and “Dominican Traditional Medicine for Urban Community Health.” From 2010 to 2014, she worked as an Ethnomedical Research Specialist at NYBG, directing several initiatives focused on improving healthcare for underserved Latino immigrant communities and providing cultural competency training for healthcare professionals.

Between 2014 and 2021, Dr. Vandebroek held the position of Matthew Calbraith Perry Assistant Curator of Economic Botany and Caribbean Program Director at NYBG. In this role, she led the Caribbean and Latino Ethnomedicine Program, which investigated the use of medicinal plants among Latino and Caribbean communities in New York City and in their countries of origin.

After leaving NYBG, Dr. Vandebroek became a senior research fellow and lecturer at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Kingston, Jamaica. As of 2026, she is Professor of Ethnobotany at UWI Mona. Her current work focuses on preserving culturally significant plant diversity and strengthening traditional knowledge to support community health, food security, and sustainable livelihoods.