APRIL 16, 2025
Honor Celebrates Disruptors, Innovators, and Game-Changers in the Dietary Supplement and Functional Food Industry
WASHINGTON – The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and Radicle Science today announced they will recognize bold, disruptive leaders redefining the dietary supplement and functional food industry with the Annette Dickinson Trailblazer Award. Nominations will be accepted from May 1 through May 30 through CRN’s platform via www.crnusa.org/trailblazer.
The late Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., blazed the trail for the establishment of the responsible dietary supplement industry as the first staff member of CRN in 1973. She later rose to become president of the association, serving in this role from 2002 to 2005, and remaining an active consultant and advocate for evidence-based nutrition policy even after retiring from CRN.
“The Trailblazer Award is an opportunity to honor the kind of bold leadership and impact that Annette Dickinson exemplified throughout her career,” said CRN President & CEO Steve Mister. “We look forward to celebrating the inspiring contributions of innovative leaders who are shaping the future of our industry.”
“Trailblazers don’t wait for change—they ignite it. The Annette Dickinson Trailblazer Award honors industry disruptors who are transforming health and wellness through fearless action and visionary thinking,” said Pelin Thorogood, cofounder and executive chair of Radicle Science. “As a mission-driven public benefit corporation, Radicle Science is proud to celebrate those who push boundaries and inspire expansion of what’s possible.”
Building on the CRN and Radicle Science award collaboration last year celebrating trailblazer Yasmeen Nkrumah-Elie, Ph.D., senior global director for external research for ChromaDex, Inc., a Niagen Bioscience company, the 2025 award will now honor the memory of Dr. Dickinson as it showcases today’s dietary supplement and functional food industry game-changers.
Any CRN voting member company employee is eligible for nomination. A panel of judges will select five finalists based on criteria including:
- Leadership: Redefining influence through action, impact, and mentorship; spearheading initiatives that significantly enhance the landscape to develop others in executive, scientific, and leadership roles.
- Innovation: Catalyzing change through bold product, scientific, or strategic breakthroughs that address real consumer needs; shifting paradigms and moving the industry forward through disruptive ideas and bold execution.
- Advocacy: Advancing policies and mindsets that support innovation, public health, and industry accountability; igniting momentum, inspire action, and spark ripple effects that extend far beyond their own organizations.
Finalists will be announced in July, with a CRN member community vote to determine the winner. The recipient will be officially recognized at CRN’s CONVERGENCE ‘25 event, taking place Oct. 8–10 in St. Louis.
To access more information on the CRN and Radicle Science Annette Dickinson Trailblazer Award and sign up to receive a reminder when the nomination platform opens, visit www.crnusa.org/trailblazer.
About CRN:
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing 180+ dietary supplement and functional food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and companies providing services to those manufacturers and suppliers. In addition to complying with a host of federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements and food in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, quality control and safety, our manufacturer and supplier members also agree to adhere to additional voluntary guidelines as well as to CRN’s Code of Ethics. Follow us on LinkedIn and X @CRN_Supplements.
About Radicle Science:
Radicle Science is history’s first Proof-as-a-Service company, powering the future of precision wellness by generating first-of-its-kind health and behavior data at unprecedented affordability, speed and precision. Named Fast Company “World Changing Idea,” Radicle Science’s award-winning Proof-as-a-Service platform rapidly generates never-before-seen health and behavior datasets across diverse large populations, wellness products, and health areas. Radicle Science delivers end-to-end business transformation via two core offerings: Radicle Discovery–groundbreaking tech-enabled gold standard clinical trials, and Journey by Radicle Science–history’s first health impact tracker. Since its founding in 2021, Radicle Science has studied more than 70,000 Americans in history’s largest clinical trials on supplements. By including women, minorities and rural populations, Radicle Science is advancing health equity and generating critical data to enable truly precision wellness. Learn more at www.RadicleScience.com.