07.01.07
The Natural Products Association, Washington, D.C., has an-nounced the 2007 recipients of the association’s annual awards, which are presented to outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions in various areas of the natural products industry. The recipient of Burton Kallman Scientific Award is Dr. Tieraona Low Dog, who has a successful herbal practice in New Mexico, is running a not-for-profit teaching clinic for herbalists and is serving as president of the American Herbalist Guild. The Rachel Carson Environmental Award goes to Michael Balick, PhD, vice president and chair, Research and Training, Philecology Curator of Economic Botany, and director of the Institute of Economic Botany for the New York Botanical Garden. For nearly three decades, Dr. Balick has studied the relationship between plants and people, working with traditional cultures in tropical, subtropical and desert environments. The recipient of the President’s Award is Sandy Gooch, a homemaker and former grade school teacher. Mrs. Gooch joined forces with Dan Volland, who operated three health food stores, to open the first Mrs. Gooch’s Natural Foods Market in West Los Angeles, CA, in 1977, gradually expanding in cities around the state. The Natural Products Association Clinician Award goes to Keith Block, MD. Dr. Block is medical-scientific director of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment in Evanston, IL. The recipients of the newly renamed Natural Products Association Industry Champion Award (formerly Crusader Awards) are Paul Bennett and Len Monheit. Mr. Bennett, a Kansas retailer, is the founder and owner of Harvest Moon Natural Foods in Olathe, KS. Mr. Monheit of Ontario, Canada, is editor of NPIwatch and NPIDaily, which are global online information resources for professionals in the natural products industry. The Statesman/Stateswoman Award winner for 2007 is Representative Chris Cannon, who was elected to Congress in 1996 and has been a key advocate of the dietary supplement and natural products industry for the last several years.