June 20, 2025 | This article will appear in Volume 61, Issue 1
This year’s ASP annual meeting, ASP 2025, will be held in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan from August 2 to 6, 2025. The theme of the meeting is “Pharmacognosy Infused Health and Wellness Solutions.” There will be a special focus on the applied aspects of this science. The program covers a diverse range of topics including health and wellness through natural products, metabolomics, chemical ecology and pharmacology, botanicals/nutraceuticals and dietary supplements, emerging technologies in natural products research and structure elucidation, natural products discovery, science in action with pharmacognosy as the need for new professional careers in industry, and microbiome to name a few.
Guests will stay in downtown Grand Rapids at the amazing Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, and the events will be held in the adjacent DeVos Place. Both are situated alongside the lovely and scenic Grand River, which flows through the downtown area with several places to dine, walk, relax and enjoy nature. The city of Grand Rapids is also the home of a rapidly growing hub of healthcare in multidisciplinary areas of human medicine. It has been referred to as Grand Rapids Medical Corridor, Michigan Street Medical Corridor, Health Hill, Medical Hill, and Pill Hill, among other names. It is also home to Michigan State University, Grand Rapids Campus. The founding of the medical-research facility Van Andel Institute in 1996 jumpstarted a multi-billion-dollar investment along Michigan Street in downtown Grand Rapids. Today, this section of Michigan Street is a world-class healthcare destination known as the Medical Mile.
A grand adventure awaits you in Michigan this August. We look forward to welcoming you!
The city of Grand Rapids is also home to the headquarters of Amway Corporation, the world’s largest direct selling company. Amway manufactures and distributes nutrition, beauty, personal care, and home products which are sold in one hundred countries. The company has a team of eight hundred scientists, and as part of the ASP annual meeting, an in-person R&D tour will be provided to the first 50 registrants who opt to do so.
The Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park is a wonderful intersection of art, culture and nature. Readers of USA Today named it the Best Sculpture Park in the United States in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and it is one of the most visited museums in the world. Over 200 sculptures are showcased throughout the gardens of the 158-acre park. It is a must see for all visitors to Grand Rapids!
There are more than 200 restaurants around town offering an array of cuisine within a ten minute walk (or free bus ride) of hotels, shops and entertainment venues. Be sure to download the Beer City Brewsader Passport | Grand Rapids is Beer City app and sign up for the digital pass before you visit – you can earn free t-shirts, hats and other fun perks when you use them to check in to participating breweries, restaurants, bars, coffeehouses and sweets shops.
Finally, no trip to Grand Rapids would be complete without a tour of the world-famous Founders Brewing Company. Known for their award-winning craft-style ales, including All Day IPA and Mortal Bloom, Founders has been brewing beer for over 25 years, and they are ranked among the top 10 largest craft breweries in the US. Tours and tastings are available, but guests must be 21 years of age or older.