Noted Herb Expert Joins American Botanical Council as Chief Science Officer
Dr. Stefan Gafner Brings Years of Technical
Expertise as Pharmacist and Natural Products Chemist to Nonprofit’s Educational
Publications and Programs (AUSTIN,
Texas, July 16, 2013)
The
American Botanical Council (ABC) is pleased to welcome Stefan Gafner, PhD, to
its staff as the organization’s first-ever Chief Science Officer.
For more than a decade, Dr. Gafner has served as a research scientist and
director of analytical chemistry in the research and product development
department of the natural products company Tom’s of Maine, a leading
manufacturer of natural oral and personal care products. Among other products
he researched and developed at Tom’s, Dr. Gafner co-developed a
breath-freshening licorice extract that is a component of Tom’s bestselling
Wicked Fresh® toothpaste.
Dr. Gafner received his degree in pharmacy at the University of Bern School of
Pharmacy in Bern, Switzerland. He earned his doctorate in pharmaceutical
sciences — with a focus on phytochemistry (the chemistry of plants) — at the
University of Lausanne in Switzerland, from the internationally respected
phytochemist Professor Kurt Hostettmann. His doctoral thesis focused on the
search for new antibacterial and antifungal compounds from African medicinal
plants in three plant families (Asteraceae, Bignoniaceae, and Myricaceae). Dr.
Gafner conducted his postdoctoral research at the University of Illinois – Chicago
in the College of Pharmacy’s highly regarded Department of Medicinal Chemistry
and Pharmacognosy (the study of medicines from plants and other natural
sources).
Highlights of Dr. Gafner’s impressive career include the discovery of dozens of
new natural products, the development of more than 40 methods for the
identification and authentication of herbal extracts, and the validation of
methods for more than 20 over-the-counter drug ingredients for consumer
products.
He has participated as an expert peer reviewer for many respected scientific
journals including Phytochemistry, Planta
Medica, Journal of AOAC International, Journal
of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, and the Journal
of Natural Products, and he co-chaired the organization of the
American Society of Pharmacognosy’s 48th annual meeting.
“ABC welcomes Dr. Stefan Gafner as our first Chief Science Officer,” said ABC
Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal. “Stefan will provide
significant energy and expertise in furthering ABC’s nonprofit mission to
educate the public about medicinal herbs and other beneficial plants.”
Blumenthal also noted that Dr. Gafner’s laboratory analytical experience will
be especially helpful with respect to the technical aspects of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program
— a nonprofit consortium that ABC is managing that educates industry,
researchers, and health professionals on how to identify adulterants in botanical
materials and helps to ensure proper identity and authenticity in herbal raw
materials.
“It is a privilege to join the American Botanical Council as its first chief
scientific officer,” said Dr. Gafner.
“I remember hiking the Swiss Alps as a high school student with my camera and
two friends taking pictures of every wildflower we could shoot,” he reminisced.
“Fellow hikers would sometimes look at us as if we were from the moon, but on
occasion, also stop and ask us about the plants we were looking at.
“I never fathomed that this passion would lead to a career in pharmacognosy and
allow me to join a pioneering organization like ABC,” added Dr. Gafner. “I am
delighted to be part of a group with its primary goal to educate people on the
benefits of medicinal plants, and look forward to the prospect of working
closely with Mark Blumenthal, one of the most respected people in the medicinal
plant community, and with an advisory board that lists many of the renowned
scientists in the area of medicinal plant research.”
Dr. Gafner continued, “I’ve never seen so many new technologies applied to
plant science — this is possibly the most interesting time to be involved in
medicinal plant research and I’m just thrilled to be part of the team whose
mission it is to make it more available to the public.”
“I was delighted to learn that Stefan Gafner will become the first Chief
Science Officer of the American Botanical Council,” said noted author and
herbalist Steven Foster, chair of ABC’s Board of Trustees. “Stefan is an
energetic scientist who embodies the needs of the many facets of ABC
stakeholders. He is a practical pharmacist and phytochemist who understands the
commercial landscape of the world of herbs, and perhaps most importantly, from
my perspective, he is equally at home in nature as he is in the lab.
“Fifteen years ago,” Foster elaborated, “Stefan introduced me to the Alpine
wild herbs of his native Switzerland, where he generously drove me to remote
mountain villages to explore local herbs. Stefan brings a collaborative spirit,
love of nature, and broad scientific experience to ABC.”
Dr. Gafner also received high praise from other professional colleagues.
“Stefan Gafner is a superb choice to serve as ABC's first Chief Science
Officer. He is an exceptionally skilled pharmacognosist and pharmacist, and
comes to ABC with great experience in herbal supplements and personal care
products from his service at Tom’s of Maine,” said ABC Advisory Board member
John Cardellina II, PhD. “I think he brings a wonderful mix of energy,
commitment, and understanding of the critical issues facing the herbal industry
to ABC. He will be an immediate asset to ABC projects such as the ABC-AHP-NCNPR
Botanical Adulterants Program.”
Cindy Angerhofer, PhD, executive director of botanical research at Aveda, said,
“I have had the pleasure of working with Stefan for nearly 15 years in the
natural products industry and academic community. His passion and extensive
background as a Swiss pharmacist and PhD phytochemist seem ideal for this new
role.
“Stefan has been an excellent mentor and role model for the technical team at
Tom’s, as well as a competent educator of customers, the trade, and scientific
peers,” continued Dr. Angerhofer. “The creation of this new position at ABC is
an exciting development for the organization, and I have great expectations for
Stefan’s contributions as the Chief Science Officer.”
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