Barbara Davis, Ph.D., will help drive PLT's research and science agenda and developing data-backed solutions for customer brands.

January 21, 2015

3 Min Read
PLT names VP of medical & scientific affairs

If you've worked closely with PLT Health Solutions in the last few years, you already know Dr. Barbara Davis, the individual responsible for spearheading scientific, R&D and regulatory efforts on behalf of PLT and our customers. If you haven't met Barbara, it might interest you to know that she brings more than 15 years of progressive consumer products company experience as a senior scientist, principal scientist and R&D director at global food and nutrition companies, experience at a consumer health and wellness insights research company and as a grant-funded academic scientist to her work at PLT.

This week, it's being announced that Dr. Davis has been appointed as PLT's vice president of medical and scientific affairs. In this role, she will continue to lead PLT's scientific and regulatory efforts for both the company's existing ingredient portfolio and new ingredient development. In addition, she will work with PLT customers (you!) in developing market-focused, evidenced-based value propositions for consumer brands.

Here's what President and CEO Paul Flowerman had to say about the appointment: "Barbara Davis is an accomplished nutrition scientist who plays a vital role at PLT by bringing her deep scientific expertise to connect science with commercial opportunities. Her considerable leadership is evident, not only with new product development, but also in supporting our sales and marketing initiatives. Barbara's outstanding CPG and R&D experience, professional network, and reputation best position PLT to deliver upon our core brand promise that high-quality science sets the foundation for high-quality ingredients. With PLT's focus on scientifically-supported ingredient solutions, Barbara's role is of strategic importance as we develop innovative and impactful solutions for our customers."

Broad-ranging career bridging nutrition science and consumer needs
As far as background, immediately before joining PLT Health Solutions, Barbara was vice president of science and technology for HealthFocus International, a market research and strategic consulting company specializing in understanding health and nutrition trends, where she worked on merging science with consumer insights and designed clinical trials to support health messaging. Prior to this, she was director of innovations, nutrition and claims at The Dannon Co., where she created clinical research programs, guided scientific and technical evaluation of business development opportunities and led multidisciplinary teams engaged in applying nutrition science to market opportunities. Early in her career, Dr. Davis worked as senior research scientist and principal research scientist at Wyeth Nutrition where she directed some of the firm's laboratories and supported product commercialization efforts. Dr. Davis was awarded her Ph.D. in nutritional sciences by the University of Florida, Gainesville and worked as an assistant professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute's Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise (HNFE) where she conducted grant-funded research.

When asked about her new position and her role in helping PLT customers, Dr. Davis had this to say: "No matter what company you work for or what job you do, you don't get into the supplement or food industry without being passionate about improving people's health and the quality of their lives. For me, that's the fundamental premise of what I try to accomplish at PLT.

"Beyond this premise, how we actually get to that point is important. It involves both rigor and creativity. For me, a commitment to strong science is the first step toward achieving our goals. Quality research points us in directions where we can make a difference. It also is the way we build trust with consumers. The creative part of this job is where we try to inspire people to be healthier. In a perfect world, we all do everything right and take great care of ourselves. In the world we actually inhabit—this is a little more challenging. Creating exciting consumer products with strong value propositions can help get consumer buy-in to a healthier lifestyle."

 

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