The Mona Symposium: Natural Products & Medicinal ¾ÅÖÝÓ°Ôº is a biennial meeting that has been hosted by the Department of ¾ÅÖÝÓ°Ôº at UWI, Mona in January of even number years since 1966. Hence, we celebrate over 50 years of bringing the best Organic Chemists in their field to our shores. The timing of the year for the gathering is no accident. Many of the overseas participants are happy to escape cold winters to come to the Caribbean to experience our warm weather and hospitality. Those of us at Mona are able to introduce our students to a small international conference with eminent Plenary Speakers and a good supporting package of short papers and poster presentations.