Free for CRN members / $299 for non-members (non-member sales will close at 10 am Eastern on April 23)
Dietary supplements sit at the crossroads of science, regulation, consumer behavior, and wellness culture—making them one of the most challenging categories for mainstream health reporters to cover accurately. Too often, coverage defaults to pharmaceutical comparisons, oversimplified risk narratives, or incomplete readings of the science, leaving brands and consumers with a distorted picture.
This webinar brings together two mainstream health reporters/editors and a leading trade journalist for an open, behind-the-scenes conversation about how supplements are covered, where misunderstandings commonly arise, and why even well-intentioned reporting can miss the mark. Panelists will discuss the pressures shaping health journalism today, the assumptions reporters bring to the supplement space, and what communicators can do to bridge the gap—without overpromising, overspinning, or talking past the media.
Designed for CRN member marketing and PR professionals, this session offers practical insight into the media mindset and actionable guidance for navigating misinformation, correcting the record, and engaging more effectively with reporters in a skeptical and fast-moving news environment.
With:
Devon Gholam, P.h.D., Editor | SupplySide Supplement Journal, Informa Markets
Devon Gholam, Ph.D., is an editor at SupplySide Supplement Journal. She has been in the functional food and nutraceutical industry for nearly two decades, with a career touching on product development, innovation, technical sales and technical writing at companies such as the Kellogg Co., Ganeden Biotech (now part of Kerry) and Step Change Innovations. Gholam is passionate about women's health and the impact of GLP-1 medication on the food, beverage and supplement industries. She is eager to share her trademark passion for knowledge and credible science to help foster an innovative and collaborative spirit within the nutraceutical community.
Serafina Kenney, Freelancer Writer
Serafina Kenny is a freelance writer and presenter based in London. She was previously a staff health reporter at Business Insider, specializing in longevity, nutrition, and healthy aging. She has also written for MadeForMums, Broadsheet London, The i Paper, The Londoner, HistoryExtra, and Stylist.
Lindsey Leake, Freelancer Writer
Lindsey Leake is an award-winning, independent health journalist based outside Washington, D.C. She enjoys covering medicine, public health, the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, nutrition and fitness, and has recently contributed to the NBC News Health & Medical Unit, CNN Wellness and Cancer Today. Before embarking on a freelance career in 2025, she spent 15 years as a staffer at news outlets including Fortune, the USA TODAY Network and Sinclair Broadcast Group. In 2023, Editor & Publisher Magazine named Lindsey among its 25 Under 35 “next generation of news media professionals.” The National Association of Science Writers recognized her article on the shortage of blood donors of color as a finalist in its 2022 Science in Society Journalism Awards. Lindsey is a three-time winner of the National Association of Black Journalists’ South Florida Diversity Award and has received numerous other reporting accolades. Lindsey earned an MA in Science Writing from Johns Hopkins University, an MA in Journalism and Digital Storytelling from American University and a BA from Princeton University.
Moderated by:
Jeff Ventura, Vice President, Communications, Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN)
Jeff Ventura oversees all aspects of CRN’s communications and media engagement strategy. With a background in both journalism and corporate communications, he works to ensure fair and accurate representation of the supplement industry in the public domain.
Free for CRN members / $299 for non-members (non-member sales will close at 10 am Eastern on April 23)
