Thorne Forms Scientific Advisory Board to Advance Ongoing Commitment to Scientific Wellness and Innovation

Distinguished experts including pioneering scientists, medical professionals and industry leaders join Board

SUMMERVILLE, S.C., May 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Thorne, the leader in science-backed health and wellness solutions for optimal personal performance, today announced the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) in its ongoing commitment to drive innovation, elevate practitioner support and deepen connections within the health and wellness industry. The SAB brings together distinguished experts from a wide range of health disciplines including longevity, human performance and women's health.

The SAB will be chaired by Thorne's Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Nathan Price, PhD, and includes the following members:

• Dr. Laura D. Baker, PhD – Professor internal medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine 
• Dr. Brent Bauer, MD – Director of Research, Integrative Medicine Program, Mayo Clinic
• Dr. Sean Gibbons, PhD – Associate Professor, Institute for Systems Biology (ISB)
• Dr. Vadim Gladyshev, PhD – Professor, Harvard Medical School
• Dr. Jacqueline Jacques, ND – Wellness Industry Expert and Strategic Advisor
• Dr. Mahtab Jafari, PharmD – Director, Center for Healthspan Services; Professor, University of California, Irvine
• Dr. Robert Rountree, MD – Physician, Boulder Wellcare
• Dr. Sara Szal, MD – Director, Precision Medicine Program, Jefferson Health; Clinical Assistant Professor, Thomas Jefferson University

"The formation of Thorne's Scientific Advisory Board brings together a world-class group of leaders who have consistently pushed the boundaries and have had positive impacts on science and health," said Price. "Their combined expertise, innovative thinking, and proven track record will be invaluable to Thorne as we advance our commitment to scientific rigor, innovation and personal performance in evidence-based wellness optimization."

The board will work with Thorne's leadership to support innovation around research and product development alongside its personalized health solutions through a shared commitment of advancing human health through the intersection of science and wellness.

Scientific Advisory Board bios:

Dr. Laura D. Baker, PhD – Professor internal medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine 

Dr. Laura Baker is a cognitive neuroscientist who is an international leader in the areas of cognitive aging and lifestyle interventions to protect brain health and prevent cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. She is the lead MPI of U.S. POINTER, the largest clinical trial conducted to date testing the effects of multidomain lifestyle interventions on 2-year cognitive trajectory in 2000 older adults at risk for cognitive decline and dementia. Dr. Baker also led the EXERT clinical trial that reported cognitive benefit following 12 months of physical exercise in 300 adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and co-led the COSMOS-Mind trial that reported cognitive benefit with 3 years of multivitamin supplementation in a community-based sample of 2200 older adults. 

Dr. Baker is Professor of Internal Medicine and Public Health Sciences at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and Associate Director of the NIA-supported Wake Forest Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 

Dr. Brent Bauer, MD – Director of Research, Integrative Medicine Program, Mayo Clinic

As Director of Research for the Mayo Clinic Integrative Medicine Program, Brent A. Bauer, M.D., has broad and varied research interests. Since its founding in 2001, the program has promoted a collaborative spirit that enables researchers from both within and outside Mayo Clinic to share resources, ideas and expertise regarding research in this exciting realm. 

Dr. Bauer's personal goal is to ensure that research conducted under the auspices of the Integrative Medicine Program is always held to the same high standards as all other research at Mayo Clinic. By ensuring this level of quality, the results that are achieved will positively contribute to knowledge that can inform clinical practice. 

This will bring real, evidence-based knowledge to patients and physicians trying to incorporate the best of conventional and complementary medicine practices. 

Dr. Sean Gibbons, PhD – Associate Professor, Institute for Systems Biology (ISB)

Sean Gibbons earned his PhD in biophysics from the University of Chicago in 2015. He completed his postdoctoral work at MIT in 2018. Sean is now an associate professor at the Institute for Systems Biology, in Seattle. His lab studies the ecology and evolution of microbial communities. In particular, Sean is interested in how host-associated bacterial communities influence the health and wellness of the host organism. His group designs computational and wet-lab tools for studying these complex systems. Ultimately, the Gibbons Lab aims to develop strategies for engineering the ecology of the gut microbiome to improve human health. 

Dr. Vadim Gladyshev, PhD – Professor, Harvard Medical School

Vadim Gladyshev is Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and a faculty member of the Broad Institute. Dr. Gladyshev is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences. He was also elected to AAAS, recognized as Redox Pioneer and received the Osborne and Mendel Award. He is the recipient of NIH Pioneer, Transformative and Eureka awards to study aging. Dr. Gladyshev's lab focuses on studying aging, rejuvenation and lifespan control using a combination of experimental and computational approaches. He has published more than 450 articles.

Dr. Jacqueline Jacques, ND – Wellness Industry Expert and Strategic Advisor

Dr. Jacqueline Jacques is an industry leader with 25+ years in the wellness space. She has been a founder, formulator, speaker, writer, and executive in the natural products industry. As a leading consultant, advisor, and director, she helps a diverse set of clients with strategic growth. From 2014 to 2023, she held leadership roles at Thorne, including Chief Research Officer. Prior, she co-founded Bariatric Advantage, acquired by Metagenics in 2010. Jacqueline holds three patents and has experience in developing new technologies. She is also the author of Micronutrition for the Weight Loss Surgery Patient, as well as other professional publications. She holds a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine (NUNM 1997), is a Fellow of the Obesity Society, and has a finance certificate from the Kelly School of Business. She also has a specialty certification in Cannabis Science from the University of Vermont and is active in various professional organizations. 

Dr. Mahtab Jafari, PharmD – Director, Center for Healthspan Services; Professor, University of California, Irvine

Dr. Mahtab Jafari is a Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Founding Director of the UCI Center for Healthspan Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. She is also a Nationally Board-Certified Health and Wellness Master Coach. She earned her Doctorate in Pharmacy from the UCSF School of Pharmacy, where she also completed her residency and served on the faculty. 

With over 30 years of experience across basic, translational, clinical, and educational research, her work centers on Healthspan Pharmacology and Evidence-Based Wellness. She leads studies on: 

• The impact of botanicals on healthspan using fruit flies and mice as model organisms. 
• The effectiveness of wellness and self-care courses on college students' mental and physical health 
• The impact of Nature Therapy on mental health. 
• The quality of dietary supplements. 

She is the author of the award-winning book The Truth About Dietary Supplements: An Evidence-Based Guide to a Safer Medicine Cabinet. 

Dr. Robert Rountree, MD – Physician, Boulder Wellcare

Dr. Rountree received his MD in 1980 from UNC-Chapel Hill, followed by family medicine residency at the Hershey Medical Center. 

He began his professional career in Boulder, Colorado, at Wellspring, a multidisciplinary clinic that was one of the first integrative medicine healthcare centers in the U.S.  In 2002, he opened Boulder Wellcare, a private practice specializing in personalized healthcare consulting. Dr. Rountree has coauthored numerous books and book chapters on integrative and functional medicine. He is the long-time Clinical Editor and a regular columnist for the journal, Integrative and Complementary Therapies (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc). In addition to his clinical practice, he is a founding member of the core faculty for the Institute for Functional Medicine.  Over the past three decades he has lectured all over the world to professional and public audiences.  Bob is especially passionate about systems biology, complexity theory, wild nature, and the preservation of biodiversity. 

Dr. Sara Szal, MD – Director, Precision Medicine Program, Jefferson Health; Clinical Assistant Professor, Thomas Jefferson University

Dr. Szal is Director of the Precision Medicine Program at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health- Jefferson Health, and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University. Her focus is at the interface of mental and physical health, N-of-1 trial design, personalized molecular profiling, use of wearables, and how to leverage these tools to improve health outcomes and promote deepening transformative experiences. 

Dr. Szal authored four New York Times bestselling books on innovative integrative health topics and is a global keynote speaker. Previously, she has served as a Chief Medical Officer for a health tech company and currently is on the board of the Academy of Integrative Medicine. 

About Thorne

Thorne is the leader in science-backed health and wellness solutions committed to helping individuals live healthier longer.  As the top recommended clinical brand by healthcare practitioners, Thorne offers a comprehensive range of products including nutritional supplements and health tests designed to meet the unique needs of individuals at every stage of life. Founded in 1984, Thorne products are formulated with the highest-quality ingredients, supported by clinical research, and rigorously tested to ensure purity, potency, and efficacy. Thorne is trusted by 47,000+ health-care professionals, thousands of professional athletes, more than 100 professional sports teams, multiple U.S. National Teams, and more than five million consumers. For more information, visit Thorne.com.

SOURCE Thorne