Our Company

Alexander Schauss, PhD, FACN, CFS, is the Senior Research Director of Natural and Medicinal Products Research, and CEO at AIBMR Life Sciences, with staff in Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington. As lead scientist, Dr. Schauss has worked on projects in 55 countries for AIBMR to support research activities for over 500 companies or institutions. He earned his undergraduate, graduate (summa cum laude), and doctoral degrees at the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque and, California Coast University in Santa Ana, respectively, completing post-graduate studies or continuing education at the University of New Mexico, the University of Washington at Seattle, University of Washington at Tacoma, the University of Puget Sound, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Stanford University, Georgia State University, University of Georgia, and California State University – Fullerton. Currently, he is a Research Associate in the Geosciences Department, College of Science, and the Bio5 Institute, Office of Research, Discovery & Innovation, at the University of Arizona

Dr. Schauss has studied nutrition and botanical medicine since 1969, when he performed his first clinical trial on the use of high dose oral vitamin C and its effects on opioid receptors in the treatment of heroin addiction; a landmark study that attracted the attention of two-time Nobel Laureate, Dr. Linus Pauling. Since then he has held a number of academic positions, including Clinical Professor of Natural Products Research and Adjunct Research Professor of Botanical Medicine at the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon; Senior Director of the Southwest College Research Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona; Associate Professor of Research at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Tempe, Arizona; Director, Institute for Biosocial Research, City University, Seattle; and, Lecturer in Biostatistics and Epidemiology at Bastyr University in Seattle.

He has been a member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) Advisory Council (AMPAC); a member of the Ad Hoc Developmental Planning Committee of the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS); a reviewer of botanical standards and information monographs for the U.S. Pharmacopoeia Convention (USP); and, a reviewer for the International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) database, maintained through an interagency partnership with the Food and Nutrition Information Center, National Agricultural Library, and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Currently, he serves on one of the expert panels of USP through 2015.

In 1985, Dr. Schauss was appointed to represent the United States as a voting member to the World Health Organization (WHO) Study Group on Health Promotion, based on the recommendation of the Director General of WHO, Dr. Hafdan Mahler, leading to his confirmation by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

He is a member in good standing of the American Society of Nutrition, the Society for Experimental Biology in Medicine, the Society for Food Science and Technology, the American College of Toxicology, a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition (FACN), International Society of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, the American Chemical Society, and Society of Toxicology. He is also an Emeritus Member of the New York Academy of Sciences, former Chairman of the Food Policy Council of the National Council for Public Health Policy, an Honorary Founding Member of the British Society of Nutritional Medicine, and Emeritus Executive Director of the American Preventive Medical Association.

In 2005, Dr. Schauss received the Linus Pauling Lecture Award “for contributions to the medical sciences” from the American College for the Advancement of Medicine. In 1996 he was an official NGO member of the US FDA delegation to the Codex Meeting on Special Nutritionals held in Bonn, Germany. In 2006, Dr. Schauss is credited with originating Supplementology™, defined as technical consultation in the field of research, development and formulation of nutraceutical, botanical and natural preparations.

Besides serving on numerous Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Independent Determination expert panels, for 23 years he served on the Compliance and Label Integrity Committee of the National Products Association, and helped develop the nation’s first Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines for the dietary supplement industry, much of which is today incorporated into the FDA’s GMP regulations for this industry.

He is the author or co-author of over 260 publications that have appeared in a diverse range of scientific journals, including: Atherosclerosis, Experimental Gerontology, Toxicology, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Food Chemistry, Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, Renal Failure, Food and Chemical Toxicology,International Journal of Neurology, International Journal of Toxicology, Nutrition Research, Biological Trace Element Research, Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, Journal of Medicinal Food, and, the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Besides being the author/co-author of 23 books in the fields of nutrition and botanical medicine, some of which have been published in numerous languages, Dr. Schauss has contributed 39 chapters to a wide range of edited works, including chapters in all editions of the Textbook of Natural Medicine (Elsevier Science: Oxford, UK); the review chapter on tocotrienols in the definitive work, Tocotrienols: Vitamin E Beyond Tocopherols (CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL), on the safety of Tocotrienols; The Safety of Tocotrienols, in Tocotrienols: Vitamin E Beyond Tocopherols, Second Edition (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press); Culinary Spices in Cancer Chemoprevention, in Bioactive Foods and Extracts – Cancer Treatment and Prevention (CRC Press, Taylor & Francis: Boca Raton, FL); three chapters in Bioactive Foods in Promoting Health (Academic Press: Oxford, UK); Botanical Foods in Cancer Treatment and Prevention (Academic Press: Oxford, UK); Dried Fruits – Phytochemicals and Health Applications (Blackwell/Wiley & Sons: Chichester, UK); Bioactive Foods as Dietary Interventions for Arthritis and Related Inflammatory Diseases (Elsevier: Oxford, UK), and Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs: Bioactive Foods in Health Promotion (Academic Press, Oxford); and, Citicoline (CDP-Choline) in the Textbook of Natural Medicine, 5^th Edition.

Dr. Endres is the chief scientific officer for AIBMR Life Sciences, Inc. in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Endres earned a degree in naturopathic medicine at Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington in 2004 and is licensed by Washington State Department of Health as a physician. He is a full member of the Society of Toxicology (SOT). Dr. Endres has been a member of numerous expert panels assembled for the evaluation of GRAS Self-determinations. He meets frequently with FDA Office of Food Additive Safety (OFAS) in College Park, MD for FDA GRAS pre-notification meetings. Dr. Endres has been a contributing author on many safety assessments published in academic journals specializing in toxicology. He is frequently the monitoring scientist for toxicology studies designed to study the safety of ingredients to be added to foods and dietary supplements. Dr. Endres is on the Editorial Advisory Boards for Nutritional Outlook, Functional Ingredients, and is on the Executive Advisory Board for Vitafoods Europe. Most recently he became one of 33 voting members on the NSF International Joint Committee to develop Publically Available Standards (PAS) for GRAS on behalf of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). At AIBMR, he manages a team of scientific and regulatory consultants specializing in the natural products and functional foods industries.

Prior to his work at AIBMR, Dr. Endres was involved in cancer research conducted at the Bastyr University Research Institute (BURI) and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, both located in Seattle, Washington. He screened botanical extracts for their inhibitory effect on the growth of various cancer cell lines. A particular area of interest was garlic plant parts in various breast cancer cell lines as well as the anti–proliferative effects of Curcuma longa (turmeric) on various colon cancer cell lines. He has also been the recipient of grants to present research in the United Kingdom at Westminster University, Middlesex University, and Oxford Natural Products. He has also presented research at various venues, including American Medical Association sponsored conferences where, in 2001, he received an Award of Excellence in Research. Dr. Endres was a teaching assistant in laboratory chemistry and a research assistant in natural products research, with a focus on production, purification, and analytical chemistry of whole plant extracts while attending Bastyr University.

Dr. Clewell is an author on many peer–reviewed journal publications, especially related to the toxicological evaluation of food ingredients. Her authorship also includes book chapters and trade articles. She has over 16 years of experience in natural products regulatory consulting and specializes in the preparation of GRAS independent conclusion dossiers, as well as FDA GRAS notices and New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) notifications. She is also involved in the evaluation and compilation of scientific research on the efficacy of ingredients and regulatory compliance for natural products. She plays a strong role in the management of projects at AIBMR Life Sciences.

In addition to work at AIBMR, Dr. Clewell has clinical experience as a licensed physician in Washington State, as well as extensive research experience. Her work in research began as a student and laboratory technician as an undergraduate at Indiana University where she spent three years working in the area of translational initiation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system. She continued her research pursuits for another five years as a research technician and laboratory manager in Dr. Karla Kirkegaard’s laboratories at both the University of Colorado and Stanford University, studying the biochemistry of polio and hepatitis C virus propagation using an S. cerevisiae model. She remained active in research in various capacities while attending Bastyr University for her doctorate. She is the past president of the Indiana Association of Naturopathic Physicians and a current member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

Dr. Modica earned her doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine in 2012 from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. She continues clinical practice with a focus on chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. She earned a high honors Bachelor of Science degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The honors distinction was based on her published work in a basic science developmental neurobiology lab. After her research work and before attending Bastyr, she worked in high-tech and medical device companies as a consultant and business analyst.

Dr. Choi graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology. She has had a strong interest in pharmacognosy and plant constituents throughout her career and has various additional experiences in the production and manufacturing of herbal supplements.

Laura’s 30 years of experience in the natural products industry began with her sales position at the Natural Products Store, now known as Marlene’s Market & Deli, a two-time national winner of “Store of the Year” in its respective category.

Laura’s success in natural products sales attracted the attention of major national dietary supplement manufacturers. She was offered a sales position by KAL, at that time a leading U.S. dietary supplement manufacturer, and relocated to Boston. Laura so quickly and successfully built KAL’s New England territory that she was soon offered a promotion to Product Training Manager for the Naturally, Inc.

Over many years of attending natural product trade shows, Laura always made a point of attending presentations given by AIBMR Life Sciences staff. Inspired by AIBMR Life Sciences research, she applied to work for AIBMR Life Sciences and was hired in 1984 by its publications division, which included Biosocial Publications and the award-winning Life Sciences Press and eventually became the Director of Publishing. During her tenure, she was responsible for the timely publication of a quarterly, peer-reviewed scientific journal as well as many other research publications. Additionally, Laura managed Tacoma Printing Company, AIBMR’s printing division, and established accounts with major book distributors throughout North America.

From 1991 to 1995, Laura was the Operations Director for two national non-profit organizations, Citizens For Health (CFH) and the American Preventive Medical Association (APMA). Her responsibilities included office and human resources management, as well as editorial management of the organizations’ membership newsletters. In 1994, CFH achieved national recognition by winning the “Award of Excellence in Government Relations”, a Federal lobbying award given by the 25,000-member American Society of Association Executives in recognition of its role in successfully organizing national grass roots support for the hotly-contested Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which eventually passed and become law. Laura also worked with APMA to introduce the Access to Medical Freedom Act in Congress, and her leadership was recognized and awarded by the natural products industry.

In 1995, Laura became Operations Director of AIBMR’S Life Sciences Division and after three years was promoted to Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer. In these roles, Laura provides overall leadership for AIBMR’s finance department and is a key member of the company’s leadership team.