Petra takes on NPA Fly-In Day, USP Forum & East Coast SoCal Dietary Supplement Consortium
Petra’s East Coast Tour
What a week in DC!
Between NPA Fly-In Day, the USP Forum, and the first East Coast SoCal Dietary Supplement Consortium event, I managed to fit three impactful events into one trip thanks to all of the schedules aligning perfectly. The conversations, collaborations, and people made the week so memorable.
A few favorite themes:
🎤🤓 Regulation & Education
It was both an honor and a pleasure to share the stage with Gary Pecic, FDA National Expert, for our session on qualifying and monitoring contract labs. Gary, thank you for being such a passionate and generous co-presenter! It was a fantastic day filled with strong speakers, and I was thrilled to close out the program. The thoughtful audience questions afterward reassured me that people were still engaged and energized at the end of a long week.
🏛️🤝 Advocacy & Public Health
Amid a full day of advocacy meetings, we received such a warm welcome from Representative Derek Tran’s staff, Tony Tran and Faith Park. I was proud to add two pins to their constituent map: one for my home and one for the Alkemist Labs office. Zach Shaben was an outstanding lead for our group and a true Capitol Hill pro who knew every underground passageway and the best lunch spot for Derek Webber and me.
❤️💙 WINning Momentum
Applause and cheers greeted me on the SCDSC stage when I introduced myself as a new WIN board member. Everywhere I went this week, I saw Women In Nutraceuticals members leading, volunteering, and making a meaningful impact across our industry. We even managed a WIN member photo op on the Capitol steps. I especially enjoyed talking with several proud, self-proclaimed “girl dads” who are stepping up as members and supporting our mission.
🥇🥰 Celebrating Teamwork
I love working alongside the dedicated volunteers of the SoCal Dietary Supplements Consortium, sponsored by the US FDA and ASQ FD&C committee. It was wonderful to recognize Nora Dowell for 10 years of leadership and commitment to this group. And our MVP, checklist queen, and dragon slayer was definitely Joshlyn Atoyebi! Huge thanks as well to Virginia (Kit) Goldman and USP for graciously hosting us at their beautiful facility.
🌱🧠 Botanical Medicine
Luckily, I had a little time to sneak in some National Mall sightseeing with Austin Allen and Francis Liu. One of the most unexpected highlights of the trip was visiting the U.S. Botanic Garden medicinal plant collection. In one small garden bed, I saw four plants that changed the course of human health history: Madagascar periwinkle, Pacific yew, Cinchona, and wormwood.
Swoon!