AHPA mourns passing of longtime President Michael McGuffin (1951-2025) |
May 30, 2025 Since 1820, the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) has advanced public health through quality standards. As the global health landscape evolves, USP continues to lead with science – thanks in part to the contributions of its Convention Members and expert volunteers. The 2025 USP Convention Meeting was held May 5-8 in North Bethesda, Maryland, and the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) was represented at the meeting by Chief Science Officer Holly E. Johnson, Ph.D. Dr. Johnson serves as a voting delegate and contributes her expertise on the Expert Committee on Botanical Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines. This committee plays a key role in developing and revising monographs and reference materials for botanical dietary supplements and herbal medicine ingredients. During the 2025 USP Convention, Robin Marles, Ph.D., was recognized with the prestigious USP Jacob Bigelow Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Standards by a USP Expert Volunteer. The award honors exceptional dedication to USP's standards-setting process and is named in tribute to Jacob Bigelow, M.D., a founding figure in U.S. pharmacopeial history. Dr. Marles served as Chair of the Botanical Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines Expert Committee for a decade. Succeeding Dr. Marles in this role is Thomas Brendler, Ph.D., Founder & Principal of AHPA member company Plantaphile, who was elected as the new Chair of this influential committee. USP also announced its newly elected Council of Experts and Board of Trustees for the 2025-2030 cycle. AHPA congratulates all those elected and honored and looks forward to continued collaboration in advancing botanical quality standards. AHPA Chief Science Officer Holly E. Johnson, Ph.D., with USP Chief Executive Officer Ronald T. Piervincenzi, Ph.D. Robin Marles, Ph.D., accepting the USP Jacob Bigelow Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Standards by a USP Expert Volunteer, pictured with USP CEO Ronald T. Piervincenzi, Ph.D., and USP Chief Science Officer Jaap Venema, Ph.D. AHPA Chief Science Officer Holly E. Johnson, Ph.D., with USP staff and Expert Volunteers, including Thomas Brendler, Ph.D., Founder & Principal of AHPA member company Plantaphile and newly elected Chair of the Expert Committee on Botanical Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines (far right).