Chandler, Ariz. (February 13, 2025) – Women In Nutraceuticals (WIN), a non-profit led by a diverse team of business leaders focused on gender equality in the nutraceutical industry, is hosting a web seminar to help women in science overcome barriers: Claiming Success – Empowering Women in Science to Advocate for the Recognition They Deserve. The free web seminar will take place on February 27, 2025, 10:00 – 11:00 AM EST. The event is free, but registration is required. The speakers will be some of the most accomplished nutraceuticals industry scientists.
The session will be moderated by Dr. Premalatha “Prema” Balachandran, a Principal Scientist, entrepreneur, educator, and community leader with a passion for advancing scientific innovation and empowering women in leadership. Over her 22-year tenure at the NCNPR, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, she has made significant contributions to drug discovery, specializing in high-throughput ADST, which has led to the development of a novel anticancer drug formulation (patent pending). Her work has resulted in several funded projects, 50+ publications, and book chapters. As an Entrepreneur, Dr. Balachandran is the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of PleXignal Laboratories, a biotechnology startup focused on accelerating pharmaceutical drug discovery through innovative solutions. She also serves as an Adjunct Instructor, teaching Biomedical Entrepreneurship at the University of Mississippi, where she mentors aspiring innovators. She is the member of WIN Science Committee bridging the worlds of science and leadership.
Dr. Premalatha Balachandran
The panel of speakers includes:
Yalda Shokooh, PharmD, PhD, Director of Science and Nutrition at NOW Health Group. Dr. Shokooh oversees new ingredient evaluation, research, scientists, nutritionists, label regulatory affairs, documentation, and customer technical training for the prominent natural products manufacturer NOW. She has worked in the natural products field for 22 years, including academia. Dr. Shokooh has taught and conducted research as a university professor for years and authored around 100 publications, mostly on botanicals. Most recently, she was a full professor at Sonoran University of Health Sciences, Tempe, Arizona. Yalda is an advisor for American Herbal Pharmacopeia. She held leadership positions for a decade and was the first female in most of those roles. She volunteers at WIN and is passionate about supporting women’s career growth.
Dr. Yalda Shokooh
Risa Schulman, PhD, is founder and president of Tap~Root, a science and regulatory consulting firm that assists prominent and pioneering natural products companies. In her 25 years in the industry, she has also held leadership positions at Mars, Inc., POM Wonderful, and Solgar Vitamins. Dr. Schulman is currently Sr. Science and Regulatory Advisor to Kaneka Nutrients as well as being an advisor to investors. One of her favorite roles is serving on science advisory boards, which she has done for McCormick, Clorox, Plum Organics and others. An equal love is translating science for non-scientists, which she is privileged to do at many conferences, podcasts and articles, and mentoring up and coming female science professionals.
Dr. Risa Schulman
Kantha Shelke, Ph.D., CFS, IFT Fellow, is a Senior Lecturer in the Regulatory Sciences MS Program at Johns Hopkins University and the founder of Corvus Blue LLC, dedicated to advancing food and supplement innovation with scientific integrity. She serves on the Faculty Advisory Board on Food and Agriculture at McGill University and the Board of Trustees at Southwest University of Health Sciences. With a deep passion for food science, nutrition, food law, safety, and the culinary arts, Kantha bridges science and sensibility through clear and effective communication—both in the marketplace and in litigation settings. She advises FAO/AgriFoodNet, supporting women entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa, and ABIMAPI in Brazil to advance women in the industry. A trusted technical and regulatory advisor to trade commissions and commodity boards, Kantha is committed to making nutritious, delicious food a human right, not a privilege.
Dr. Kantha Shelke
Topics that will be covered include:
- Understanding and combating the Matilda Effect.
- Overcoming imposter syndrome.
- Measuring and communicating your value and the impact of your work.
- Advocating for authorship, titles, patents, and other acknowledgments.
- Leveraging relationship-building and mentorship
