NSF’s John Travis wins prestigious ICSB award

Pictured (left to right): Emily Britton, PhD, principal market development manager, Waters Corp.; John Travis, principal technical manager, Health Sciences Certification, NSF; Ikhlas A. Khan, PhD., D. Litt (Hon Causa), director, The National Center for Natural Products Research, and director, Food and Drug Administration Center of Excellence. Photo from NSF International.

NSF International (Ann Arbor, MI) announced that John Travis, its principal technical manager, Health Sciences Certification, received the prestigious International Conference on the Science of Botanicals (ICSB) Distinguished Achievement Award. The award was sponsored by Waters Corporation at the 21^st Annual Oxford International Conference on the Science of Botanicals held in late April.

Travis currently leads the NSF Certified for Sport program. His career working with the supplement industry, including 28 years at NSF, includes standout achievements such as developing NSF Certified for Sport and the analytical methods that are used to test and certify products for the program, which is used by major sports organizations and anti-doping organizations like USADA. Travis also helped to develop NSF/ANSI 173, “the only accredited American National Standard for dietary supplements,” an NSF press release explains, adding that “his work on developing analytical methods in support of certification to NSF/ANSI 173 was vital to the NSF Contents Tested certification program. Both certifications fill a need for independent assessments of quality for dietary supplements.”

The International Conference on the Science of Botanicals is hosted by The National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) within the School of Pharmacy at The University of Mississippi and is also supported by the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) at FDA, plus other scientific organizations.

In the NSF press release, David Lonza, vice president, Global Health Sciences, NSF, said, “NSF is full of world-class talent that makes a difference in public health every day. However, it’s something else when the industry recognizes it, too. We’re proud of John for his incredible career, dozens of achievements, and this distinguished award.”

Travis stated: “I am honored to receive this award from the ICSB and Waters. To be selected by my scientific peers as a worthy recipient is a memory I will cherish.”

“John Travis’s collaborative, kind, and passionate attitude about science was a key factor in this decision,” added Ikhlas A. Khan, PhD, D. Litt (Hon Causa), director of The National Center for Natural Products Research and director of the Food and Drug Administration Center of Excellence.