LEHI, Utah, Oct. 2, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. (Nasdaq:NATR), a leading natural health and wellness company engaged in the manufacture and direct sale of premium-quality nutritional and personal care products, today announced the appointment of Dr. William J. Keller to the company's Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Keller currently serves as the Vice President of Health Sciences and Educational Services and Chief Scientific Resource Officer at Nature's Sunshine Products ("NSP"), where he has worked since April 2001. He will continue to assist the company in this capacity and will lend support to ongoing research activities as well as help educate and train distributors at various company events.
"Bill has been a great asset to the company for over a decade, bringing his vast knowledge of pharmacognosy to product development and successfully overseeing our Health Sciences department," said Gregory L. Probert, Nature's Sunshine Products' Chairman and CEO. "We're pleased to add his expertise to our Board and look forward to his many contributions."
Dr. Matt Tripp, NSP's Chief Scientific Officer, added, "Dr. Keller is highly respected and renowned in the field of pharmacognosy. His findings on mangosteen xanthones, unique noni fruit constituents, acai fruit, paw paw fruit and other research have been especially enlightening and pertinent to NSP's ability to offer cutting-edge products and to educate its sales force about the products' ingredients. Dr. Keller's extensive research background and knowledge will be of great value in helping guide us to new discoveries and innovations."
Prior to his coming to Nature's Sunshine Products, Dr. Keller served in a variety of professional capacities. He has served as Secretary for the American Society of Pharmacognosy and has been a member of the Board of Trustees for the American Herbal Products Association. He has served on the Dean's Advisory Board for the Colleges of Pharmacy at Texas A&M University and Idaho State University. He also served as the Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Samford University in Alabama. His list of service and accomplishments in the field of education and critical scientific review is staggering and includes service on grant review panels, editorial boards and decades as a manuscript referee.
Dr. Keller's vast experience also includes almost 30 years as a professional pharmacist in three different states and extensive teaching experience at the Schools of Pharmacy at both Samford University and Northeast Louisiana University. His research has been published over 50 times in prestigious journals including the Journal of Natural Products, Pharmaceutical Biology, Phytochemistry, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, and many others.
Dr. Keller earned his Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Washington. He earned his master's degree in the same field and his bachelor's degree in Pharmacy both from Idaho State University.
"I'm excited to work with some terrific people on the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board," Keller said. "I've been impressed with Nature's Sunshine since day one. Most other companies our size consider it a hassle to produce their own products. We consider it an honor. I'm thrilled to help in the development of more cutting-edge products and to be a part of a company dedicated to leading the world in offering high-quality, innovative health products."
About Nature's Sunshine Products
Nature's Sunshine Products (Nasdaq:NATR), a leading natural health and wellness company, markets and distributes nutritional and personal care products through a global direct sales force of over 680,000 independent Managers, Distributors and customers in more than 40 countries. Nature's Sunshine manufactures most of its products through its own state-of-the-art facilities to ensure its products continue to set the standard for the highest quality, safety and efficacy on the market today. The Company has three reportable business segments that are divided based on the characteristics of their Distributor base, similarities in compensation plans, as well as the internal organization of NSP's officers and their responsibilities (NSP Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe; NSP Russia, Central and Eastern Europe; and Synergy WorldWide). The Company also supports health and wellness for children around the world through its partnership with the Sunshine Heroes Foundation. Additional information about the Company can be obtained at its website, www.naturessunshine.com.