CRN Members, vote via your personal ballot received via email. Contact Gretchen Powers with questions.
“I am honored and humbled to be nominated as a finalist for this Trailblazer award. This recognition is a tribute to the many colleagues who have guided me as I blazed my way through this journey. It inspires me to keep pushing boundaries to advocate science that makes a difference, to lead with purpose, and to 'pay it forward.'”
BIO: Deshanie Rai is a global leader in science-based innovation, regulatory excellence, and strategic advocacy. For more than two decades, Deshanie has, and continues to be at the forefront of empowering consumer self-care through product innovations, renovations and disseminating the science. Her technical expertise and ability to mobilize people and resources has resulted in high value outcomes for our consumers, the organizations she has worked at and the industry. The products she has helped bring to market have reached consumers worldwide to support health outcomes at every life stage. She has disrupted traditional R&D and commercialization models by bridging evidence generation with real world application, expediting regulatory approvals, and reducing costs while ensuring product safety and efficacy. Deshanie is "all hands-on deck" when it comes to advocacy and working with her colleagues from other companies, academia, and trade organizations to shape, guide and influence science and policies that benefit our consumers and our industry. Recognized by colleagues and institutions alike for her leadership and contributions, Deshanie continues to inspire others through her courage, collaborative spirit, and commitment to advancing health. She is a firm believer in "paying it forward" and actively volunteers on projects to support food security in Africa and the professional development of fellow colleagues and young scientists.
FUN FACTS:
- What is your favorite supplement? This is a tough one since there are several reputable brands that I trust and depend on. Having said that, I do have favorite supplement ingredients and these include vitamin B12, vitamin D, lutein (and zeaxanthin), magnesium, choline, and DHA—mainly because these are nutrients, I know I am not getting enough of from my everyday diet and are necessary to support my health needs.
- What is your ‘happy place’? Forsure, it's when I am on the badminton court. Badminton is a fast-paced game requiring agility, strategic thinking, and accuracy. It often times requires you to work with your team/partner to deliver on your best game....and of course there's also the social interaction and building relationships. Many of these benefits and attributes translate into our everyday work lives and I appreciate the synergies thereof.
- What is your special talent that may surprise people? My talent is embroidery. This is a skill that I was fortunate to learn when I was around 9 years old thanks to my elementary school program. Embroidery is much the opposite of badminton in that it is calm, slow paced, almost meditative in nature yet allowing you to draw on your creativity and patience to recreate images with your hands. Several of the pieces I worked on went on display at school shows.
NOMINATION SUBMISSION: Deshanie stands out as a transformative leader in consumer health, distinguished by her courage, scientific acumen, strategic thinking, and dedication to public health. Her journey began as a trailblazer in her own family and community—becoming the first in her family to attend college and among the first few Indians to graduate in Dietetics from the University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Her academic excellence earned her a scholarship to pursue advanced degrees in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Postdoctoral fellowship in Molecular Biology and Endocrinology. Her clinical nutrition background coupled with her graduate and post-graduate research helped address common health concerns including renal disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, preterm nutrition, and breast cancer.
For over twenty years, Deshanie has spearheaded science-driven product development in key health areas such as immune health, allergy management, eye health, and GI health and the microbiome, making a global impact across North America, Europe, and Asia. Her leadership in R&D and creative approach to commercialization has shaped regulatory strategies, accelerated product launches and reduced costs. Her key contributions that have important human health implications include advancing infant nutrition solutions, women’s health products specifically through menopause support, constipation management with the leading doctor-recommended laxative brand and supporting vision performance.
As an advocate for evidence-based health, Deshanie has extensive and diverse leadership experiences in shaping, influencing, and implementing advocacy strategies through cross-functional, multi-company and non-profit partnerships for several health outcomes. An example is a multi-prong strategy Deshanie initiated and is driving to champion the importance of nutrition for eye health and vision performance through the lifecycle. This includes the recognition of certain bioactives with the goal of implementing treatment guidelines and driving policy change at the state and federal level. This is important given that the CDC has called out vision health as a public health problem because of the increasing prevalence of age-related eye diseases.
Beyond her technical accomplishments, Deshanie is a recognized industry leader, having received multiple awards and serving in prominent roles with the American Society for Nutrition. Deshanie is a firm believer of “paying it forward”—she is an advocate for diversity, inclusion and professional development, mentoring scientists and fellow colleagues. Her board and advisory positions at organizations like ILSI, CRN, Tufts and UIUC further highlight her influence.
Deshanie’s commitment extends globally through volunteer work, especially in Africa with Partner for Food Solutions, focusing on food security and nutrition and economic development. Deshanie continues to shape the future of consumer health through nutrition. She is a leader and an expert who is adept at mobilizing people and resources in pursuit of high value outcomes for our consumers, her fellow colleagues and the industry. Her collaborative, impact-focused leadership and unwavering dedication make her a deserving recipient of the Trailblazer Award.
Learn more about this honor in CRN's April 2025 press release, “CRN and Radicle Science Announce 2025 Annette Dickinson Trailblazer Award.”
