Sibyl Swift, Ph.D., Joins Natural Products Association Jan. 6, 2020 as Senior Vice President for Scientific and Regulatory Affairs
Sibyl Swift, Ph.D., NPA Senior Vice President for Scientific and Regulatory Affairs
WASHINGTON, DC – The Natural Products Association (NPA), the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the natural products industry, today announced that former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official Sibyl Swift, Ph.D. will be the new Senior Vice President for Scientific and Regulatory Affairs for the association. The hire comes as NPA expands its international presence as a Codex Alimentarius NGO observer and accelerates its advocacy efforts on a host of public policy priorities including CBD regulation, New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) enforcement, permitting health savings account holders to use tax-deferred funds for supplement purchases, and the future of Natural Product regulation.
Dr. Swift has held multiple senior positions inside the FDA, most recently as the Associate Director for Research and Strategy at the Office of Dietary Supplement Programs. In this role, Dr. Swift managed the office’s research portfolio and was responsible for aligning its science, research, compliance, enforcement and policy initiatives. Dr. Swift also co-chaired the Steering Team for the Botanical Safety Consortium, a collaboration between scientists from government agencies, such as FDA and the National Toxicology Program, as well as from academia and industry.
“We are very excited that Dr. Swift is a part of NPA as we enter this important phase of industry regulation and expansion, especially as it relates to new and promising products like CBD. Dr. Swift is an exceptional example of NPA’s leadership and focus on effectively engaging in legislative and regulatory environments to support the industry and ensure the best, safest and most innovative natural products are accessible to people in America and around the world. No other organization in the space has this depth and breadth of understanding of how the modern-day FDA functions,” said Dr. Fabricant, President and CEO of NPA.
In her new role, Dr. Swift will be responsible for the development and implementation of the association’s current educational, regulatory and compliance programs and efforts, such as SSCI, the NPA Natural Standard and others. Her work will also include a focus on assisting members with claim reviews and substantiation, as well as NDI notification policy.
“I’m excited to be joining NPA at this promising phase for this important and growing industry. As Americans and their elected officials look for “health-first” strategies that promote wellness over treatment and reduce costs, I’m confident that natural products will play a larger role. I can’t wait to get to work,” said Dr. Swift.
Prior to joining FDA, Dr. Swift was a research biochemist in the Department of Defense at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute. In this role, she collaborated with fellow investigators to create a novel model of polytrauma and explored the efficacy of vitamin E isomers as radiation countermeasures. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in a neuroendocrinology laboratory where she directed a Defense Medical Research and Development Program-funded grant exploring a novel method of inducing traumatic brain injury and its effect on stress response.
Dr. Swift earned her Ph.D. in nutrition and M.S. in physiology at Texas A&M University. She is currently a member of the American Society for Nutrition and serves as an adjunct faculty member at USUHS in the Department of Military Emergency Medicine.
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Natural Products Association
The Natural Products Association (NPA) is the trade association representing the entire natural products industry. We advocate for our members who supply, manufacture and sell natural ingredients or products for consumers. The Natural Products Association promotes good manufacturing practices as part of the growth and success of the industry. Founded in 1936, NPA represents over 1,000 members accounting for more than 10,000 locations of retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of natural products, including foods, dietary supplements, and health/beauty aids. Visit www.npanational.org.
