Dr Hilmas is the third major personnel announcement for NPA in recent weeks, following the naming of Daniel Fabricant, PhD, as CEO and Devon Powell as Senior Vice President of Member Services and COO. The NPA now employs two of agency’s top dietary supplement officials.
“Dr Hilmas brings extensive experience from his work with the FDA, including an unprecedented scientific perspective and regulatory expertise,” said Dr Fabricant, who served as Dr Hilmas’ direct supervisor at the FDA prior to his recent return to NPA as CEO. “As the only industry association with a medical doctor on staff, NPA will be able to provide unmatched guidance on topics ranging from clinical issues, public health, and regulatory compliance, including cGMPs and Adverse Event Reporting.
“We are building a new leadership team at NPA to serve our members’ needs and push the association forward in the public policy debates that are most important to our industry. Dr. Hilmas’ hire shows our commitment to bringing in the highest-caliber executives who can deliver the services NPA members want.”
Dr Hilmas, a medical doctor with a degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a doctorate in pharmacology and toxicology, comes to NPA after having served as Chief of the Dietary Supplement Regulation Implementation Branch under the Division of Dietary Supplement Programs at the FDA for more than two years. Prior to this he served as Senior Toxicologist for Dietary Ingredients at the FDA, and worked as a physiologist and principal investigator for the US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense.
In his new role at NPA, Dr Hilmas will be involved in the development and implementation of the association’s current educational and compliance programs, such as cGMP training, Natural Seal, TruLabel and others, said NPA. He’ll also be working on producing new educationally driven regulatory compliance efforts similar to those he conducted for industry stakeholders while in the field at the FDA. His work will also include a focus on assisting members with health claim reviews and substantiation, as well as New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) notifications.
“NPA is the only association that will offer its members the ability to have direct access to two top former FDA officials, and I’m excited to be working with Dr. Fabricant and the team he’s assembling,” said Dr Hilmas.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to translate my experience as a medical professional into tangible programs and guidance for NPA members in the regulatory and scientific arenas.”
NPA bills itself as the largest trade organization representing the entire breadth of the natural products industry, from suppliers and manufacturers through retailers. NPA is also the oldest organization representing the industry, with more than 2,000 members in all 50 states and internationally, accounting for over 10,000 retail, manufacturing, wholesale, and distribution locations of natural products, including foods, dietary supplements, and health/beauty aids.