Center for Research on Ingredient Safety

2020 CBD Science Symposium Speakers

“UK safety assessment of CBD as a novel food” Alan Boobis (Imperial College London)

Alan Boobis, Ph.D., is an Emeritus Professor of Toxicology at Imperial College London, having retired in June 2017. His research interests include mechanistic toxicology, mode of action, and risk assessment.  He has published around 250 original research papers and sits on a number of national and international advisory committees, including the UK Committee on Toxicity, which he chairs.

“Hemp-Derived CBD: A Primer on Key Regulatory Issues” Ricardo Carvajal (Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.)

Ricardo Carvajal, J.D., M.S., is a director at Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C., a law firm based in Washington DC that specializes in FDA and related regulatory matters. From 2002 to 2007, he served as an Associate Chief Counsel at FDA. Drawing on that expertise, he counsels clients on managing inspections, responding to warning letters and other enforcement actions, resolving import detentions, and conducting product recalls. He advises clients on the regulatory status of ingredients and finished products, and provides guidance on compliance with labeling and advertising requirements, as well as representation in advertising-related disputes. He also helps clients interpret and comment on the implementation of new regulations.

“Inhibition of Peripheral Immune Function and Neuroinflammation by CBD in EAE” Barbara Kaplan (Mississippi State University)

Barbara Kaplan, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Center for Environmental Health Sciences at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Kaplan has been studying the effects and mechanisms by which cannabinoids, and specifically cannabidiol (CBD), alter immune function for many years. She helped define many of the immune suppressive effects of CBD. Most recently she published a paper on the beneficial effects of CBD in the EAE model of multiple sclerosis and a review article on the immune effects of CBD. 

“Strategy for Evaluating Hemp-Based Products as Dietary Supplements” Sylvia Laman (NSF International) 

Sylvia Laman, M.S., is an interdisciplinary scientist and leader with experience in pharmacology, toxicology, and regulatory science. In her current role, Mrs. Laman leads a team of technical experts who navigate complex public health topics specific to nutritional health and personal care products.  Sylvia and her team ensure that the ingredients and any potential contaminants or adulterants in the products do not present a significant public health risk or a reputational risk to consumers, athletes or the NSF brand.
 

“Derivation of an acceptable daily intake of orally-consumed cannabidiol (CBD) in adult consumers: challenges and limitations” Brad Lampe (NSF International) 

Brad Lampe, M.P.H., is a principal toxicologist at NSF International, where his main role is to evaluate the safety of and derive acceptable intake levels for contaminants extracted from drinking water system components. He has over ten years of experience evaluating food contact materials against FDA and European Union food contact regulations and assisting NSF clients with regulations pertaining to food additives and dietary supplement ingredients. He possesses a Masters of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Cornell University.

"Introduction to cannabinoids and the new wonder drug/consumer product: CBD" Jinpeng Li (Michigan State University)

Jinpeng Li, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Center for Research on Ingredient Safety (CRIS) at Michigan State University. Dr. Li is interested in cellular and molecular toxicology.  A major research focus is the development and application of physiologically relevant new approaches and methodologies to predict toxicity, explore underlying molecular mechanisms, and leveraging data from human cell-based models to promote the safe use of chemicals. His current research focuses include the characterization of the effect of cannabidiol (CBD) on inflammation using human leukocytes as well as the assessment of potential hepatotoxicity of CBD using a 3D spheroid culture system.

“Answering FDA’s Call for CBD Safety Data" Patrick McCarthy (ValidCare, LLC)

Patrick McCarthy, Esq., the co-founder of ValidCare, is an accomplished senior executive and licensed attorney with an outstanding track record of building successful franchises ranging from start-ups, private equity-backed to Fortune 100. ValidCare, LLC provides contract research outsourcing (CRO) and virtual research solutions for life sciences and consumer packaged goods industries and has worked actively in the hemp space to advance science and research since 2017, including its sponsorship of the national CBD Consumer safety study in fall of 2019. 

“Cannabinoid-induced changes in gut microbiome and suppression of inflammation” Mitzi Nagarkatti (University of South Carolina School of Medicine)

Mitzi Nagarkatti, Ph.D.,  is the SmartState Endowed Chair of the Center for Cancer Drug Discovery as well as Carolina Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Dept. of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at the School of Medicine, University of South Carolina. Her research is broad-based and encompasses Inflammation, Autoimmunity, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, and Immunotoxicology/Immunopharmacology. She is an American Association for Advancement of Sciences Fellow as well as Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences. She’s published >300 scientific papers in high-impact journals and presented ~500 research abstracts at international, national, and regional meetings. She’s currently a regular member of NIH Systemic Injury and Environmental Exposures Study Section.
 

“Effects of Perinatal Cannabidiol (CBD) Exposure on Developmental Outcomes: A Focus on Neurocognitive and Motor Functioning” Andrew Shen (U.S. Food & Drug Administration)

Andrew Shen, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist in the Department of Neurotoxicology at the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR/FDA). His MS and Ph.D. work at Auburn University focused on the neurobehavioral consequences of exposure to environmental contaminants in adult and aging rodent models. Also, Dr. Shen studied the contributions of neurovascular dysfunction to neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment while completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. He is now continuing his work in neurobehavioral toxicology at the NCTR as a staff fellow.
 

“Cannabinoid and terpene regulation of ionotropic receptor pathways” Helen Turner (Chaminade University)

Helen Turner, Ph.D., is the Professor of Biology and Vice President for Strategy and Innovation at Chaminade University in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her major research interest is in signal transduction via ion channels. Her Laboratory of Immunology and Signal Transduction has published ~50 papers in this area, primarily in mast cells and basophils, and more recently in cellular systems that are in vitro nociception models. Her current research focus is on the regulation of TRP channels by environmentally-derived molecules (plant secondary metabolites including cannabinoids and terpenes, insect venoms, nanomaterials) for their regulation of TRP channels and impact on pain and pro-inflammatory responses. She also leads a data analytics effort as part of the new Chaminade Data Science Center to identify combinatorial drug formulations for pain and inflammation based on non-Western medical systems. 
 

“Consumer Demand and the CBD Market: Intersections & Insights” Asa Waldstein (Boulder Hemp-CBD Group)

Asa Waldstein is a Certified Clinical Herbalist (CCH) with 20 years of experience developing and implementing compliant marketing and cGMP manufacturing processes in the dietary supplement and hemp industries. Asa has formulated, manufactured, and marketed hundreds of products in a compliant manner and has helped oversee three FDA CFR 111 audits without any 483s. Asa is an AHPA board member and is Chair of AHPA's Cannabis Committee. Asa commonly speaks on FDA/FTC enforcement trend analysis, social media marketing principles, and manufacturing efficiency principles.