Professor and Dr. Qing Li (MD, PhD) is the world’s foremost expert in forest medicine and immunology. A medical doctor and clinical professor at Nippon Medical School Hospital, Nippon Medical School, he also works at several hospitals in Japan as a senior physician and an advisor doctor. He has been a visiting fellow at the Stanford University School of Medicine and is a founding member and president of the Japanese Society of Forest Medicine (http://forest-medicine.com), a leading member of the Task Force of Forests and Human Health of IUFRO, and the vice president and secretary general of the International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine (INFOM, http://infom.org), as well as one of the directors of the Forest Therapy Society in Japan (https://www.fo-society.jp). He is also the Managing Vice Chairperson of Forest Health Maintenance Research of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies.
Some people study medicine. Some people study forests. Dr. Li combines his studies in forest medicine to discover the ways in which walking in the forest can improve our well-being. He started the forest medicine research (Shinrin-yoku/Forest bathing/Forest therapy) from 2004 and has published many articles in forest medicine in scientific journals, before establishing the the new science of Forest Medicine, publishing ‘Forest Medicine’ in 2012 in the USA (https://novapublishers.com/shop/forest-medicine/). This book has been translated into Chinese and Korea. His new book: Shinrin-Yoku (The Art and Science of Forest Bathing – How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness) was published by Penguin Random House UK on April 5, 2018. The book also was published in the USA under the title of Forest Bathing on April 17, 2018 by Viking Books (Penguin Random House USA). Forest Bathing ranked in the bestseller list in the USA.
Dr. Li has been working with Planetary on an exclusive interview, set to be published this Spring on our ‘You’ tab! To read our discussion with shinrin-yoku’s world expert – and find out how forest bathing could positively impact your wellbeing – sign up for free now to access exclusive content, easy to follow guides and tips!
