Dr. Zhao graduated with a Medical Bachelor degree in traditional Chinese herbal medicine from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine in 1982. Then, he gained a Master of Medicine degree following a further training at Peking Union Medical College. In 1994, he was awarded a PhD degree at Royal Postgraduate Medical School of London University and specialised in clinical pharmacology.
Dr. Zhao also serves as a member of the Expert Advisory Groups on herbal medicines for British Pharmacopoeia Commission and a member of the Herbal Medicine Advisory Committee of MHRA. He worked for many years as a council member and then as the president of the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, the largest professional body in Chinese medicine and acupuncture in the UK.