USANA Health Sciences Expands Award-Winning Research and Development Team

SALT LAKE CITY, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NYSE: USNA), a global nutritional supplement company, today announced the promotion of Dr. John Cuomo to executive director of global research and development and Dr. Brian Dixon to executive director of new product and technological innovation. Additionally, Dr. Nancy Steely, a licensed naturopathic physician, Mark Levy, a Ph.D. in human nutrition, and John Bosse, a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer and adjunct professor at the University of Utah, have joined USANA's growing staff of scientific experts.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110110/LA27593LOGO)

Dr. Cuomo will be heavily involved in the building of a USANA research and development laboratory in Singapore, and he will continue to work on the company's expansion into China. He holds more than 20 U.S. and European patents, is the author of numerous scientific papers, and brings decades of expertise to USANA's research and development team in the areas of synthetic organic chemistry, manufacturing, and analytical methods.

"Science is the foundation of our business, and as USANA continues to grow, we are expanding our scientific team to meet increasing demand for new products and research," says Dr. Cuomo. "Health and wellness is a $600-billion-dollar global industry that continues to trend toward prevention, and we are prepared for continued growth."

Dr. Dixon will be taking on additional responsibilities in new product development, clinical research, and technology innovation. He earned a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology from Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute, where his research focused on the underlying biochemical and cellular mechanisms of aging.

"USANA is unlike other nutritional companies," says Dr. Dixon. "Few supplement companies make the kind of investment we do in scientific research, strategic partnerships, product development and technological innovation."

Licensed naturopathic physician, Dr. Nancy Steely, is a graduate of the world-renowned Bastyr University, and has been a holistic health care practitioner since 2000. She has joined USANA as a senior scientist who will be involved in all aspects of product development with a focus on formulations.

Dr. Mark Levy, a Ph.D. in human nutrition from Ohio State University, also holds a master's degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Guelph, and a bachelor's degree in food science and biology from Acadia University. Dr. Levy's role as a senior scientist is primarily to research, test, and innovate nutritional compounds for their efficacy in promoting long-term human health.

John Bosse is a registered dietitian and NSCA Certified Personal Trainer who specializes in sports nutrition. Bosse received his Master's Degree in Sports Dietetics from the University of Utah and a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science from Colby-Sawyer College. He has taken on the role as senior scientist for product innovation and is involved in research and development of new products and technologies to help USANA stay at the forefront of the nutritional industry.

"The specialties of our new research and development staff are so diverse that we are certain they will bring new innovations and insights to our company as we surpass our 20 years in business," said Kevin Guest, USANA's president of the Americas and Europe.

About USANA
USANA Health Sciences, Inc. develops and manufactures high-quality nutritionals, personal care, energy and weight management products that are sold directly to Preferred Customers and Associates throughout the United States, Mexico, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, the Netherlands, France, Belgium and the United Kingdom. Learn more at the USANA website (www.usana.com), stay current with the official USANA lifestyle blog (www.whatsupusana.com) and USANA corporate blog (blog.usana.com), like USANA on the USANA Facebook page (www.facebook.com/usanahealthsciences), or follow USANA on Twitter (@usanainc).

Media Contact: Ashley Collins
Executive Director of Marketing, PR, and Social Media
USANA Health Sciences, Inc.
(801) 954-7280
media(at)us.usana(dot)com

SOURCE USANA Health Sciences, Inc.