Page 25 - Woman 060920_interactive

Women of Distinction

CBD research and education to sufficient efficacy research, creates uses, hemp cultivation was legal- was genuinely honored when they
improve public health and safety. a real public health issue.” ized again with the 2018 Farm asked me to become a Trustee.
Although it was an entirely After hearing these scary facts, Bill. The new law defines hemp as Being part of the amazing UCSD
different field for Pelin – one I had to ask Pelin what our readers cannabis strains containing less community is one of the most
she didn’t have a formal educa- should do when trying to select than 0.3% THC (a psychoactive rewarding experiences of my life,’.
tion in - she found that she was a CBD product to assure they are compound). Due to decades of Pelin serves on the Foun-
approaching it with the same in fact receiving what they are prohibition, much of the hemp dation’s Donor Relations and
kind of thinking that served her paying for. used for the CBD products in this Stewardship Committee, Inno-
so well earlier in her career. The “Given current lack of FDA country is imported, primarily vation and Entrepreneurship
foundation’s efforts to drive some regulation, one of the best ways from China and Eastern Europe, Council and recently joined the
of the most groundbreaking to determine the quality of a CBD and unfortunately their cultivation Executive Board of the UC San
research studies also gave her the product is inquiring about their standards have been lower than Diego Basement, a campus-wide
opportunity to work with and certificates of analysis (COA). in our country. The key issue is incubator and startup hub that
learn from incredible doctors, If a company has a COA from a that hemp is a bio-aggregator, runs innovation and entrepreneur-
researchers, and scientists across certified third-party lab that has which means it extracts whatever ship programming. “As Chancellor
the nation. “We leverage analytical Pradeep Khostla put it during one
thinking and a multidisciplinary of our conversations, entrepre-
approach, spanning clinical, basic neurship is at the very heart and
science, genetic, neuroscience and soul of UCSD - and it shows!
advanced imaging techniques for The inspiring track record of the
a comprehensive and systematic number of companies started
exploration of the CBD mecha- across numerous disciplines, their
nism of action across a multitude success rates over time, number of
of conditions. Interestingly, the patents filed (and granted) all add
multidisciplinary data collection is up to make our young institution
very reminiscent of my tech days, one of the nation’s top entrepre-
and I am hopeful that the insights neurial hubs, in the same league
gained will lead to more of a as leaders like MIT and Stanford.
personalized, precision medicine Since I view the world through a
approach to cannabis and CBD very similar entrepreneurial lens,
treatments.” the opportunity to further enhance
Gallup polls and other nation- such impactful programs greatly
al surveys indicate that about 15% adds to my sense of purpose.”
or more of the population may Advocacy for entrepreneur-
be using CBD, which translates ship education and mentorship
to millions of users in America. been licensed to conduct such is in the soil where it is grown. has become a key part of Pelin’s
As of late, CBD appears to be analysis, and they publish those If the soil is polluted with heavy mission. Even prior to her involve-
popping up in many consumer results, then you should feel more metals, etc., those compounds will ment with UCSD, she had been
products, from skin products confident that the product does actually show up in the plant and serving as an Entrepreneur-in
and tinctures to lipstick. So, I indeed contain the stated amounts ultimately in the CBD product. Residence and a guest lecturer for
was happy to hear that Pelin’s of CBD and other cannabinoids, This is clearly something we want her alma mater Cornell for nearly
nonprofit, Wholistic Research and no other harmful compounds. to avoid. So, it is critical to know ten years. “I am a sincere believer
and Education Foundation, is also Also, look at the date stamp on the what kind of soil the hemp used in that the creativity, passion and
very much focused on demystify- COA to ensure it is relatively cur- your CBD product grows in.” optimism of an entrepreneur is
ing CBD and separating fact from rent. CBD manufacturers should About a year ago, Pelin was what fuels innovation and mean-
fiction with their evidence-based be conducting what’s called batch asked to join the board of trustees ingful progress. I love connecting
education and advocacy efforts. testing, so each time they produce of the UC San Diego Foundation, with young entrepreneurs, hearing
“There are clearly major gaps in a new batch of product, they a nonprofit corporation dedicated about their vision and openly
research around both the safety should have them tested again.” to maintaining and enhancing the sharing my own experiences with
and efficacy of these products as One of the interesting things I margin of excellence at UCSD. the hope of making it just a little
well as a lack of understanding learned during my time with Pelin Pelin says she was thrilled to bit easier for them to achieve their
on how they work. We still need was that the quality and efficacy bring her experiences from her own dreams. I also believe in giv-
more data on dose, frequency, of CBD is very much based on entrepreneurial career as well as ing back. I know I’ve been fortu-
timing of use and delivery meth- the quality of the hemp that it is her more recent foray into the nate. I mean, my college scholar-
ods most associated with ther- derived from. “Hemp was already nonprofit world to an institution ships were a precious gift without
apeutic benefit for different condi- being cultivated by Native Amer- that is obviously making great which I could not have come from
tions. Another issue is the lack of icans well before the pioneers strides in positively impacting not Istanbul to study at one of the best
industry regulation and oversight arrived. And it became one of the just San Diego, but all of Califor- schools in the world. And I had
for CBD products, which has first crops to be adopted by the nia. “My involvement with UCSD incredible mentors throughout my
led to systemic quality control early settlers in the 17th century as initially started with the first-of-its career who believed and invested
issues. Recent independent testing it could be grown for food, oil and kind ‘CBD Efficacy for Autism’ in me. So, it’s now my turn to give
has even highlighted some CBD fiber. Things changed when hemp study we funded at UCSD’s Center freely to drive impact, serve as a
products do not actually contain became illegal in 1970, when the for Medicinal Cannabis Research. role model and try to help others
any CBD or they may be contam- U.S. government passed the Con- UCSD is broadly regarded as in unexpected ways. Mahatma
inated with pesticides and heavy trolled Substances Act to regulate one of the best research univer- Gandhi famously said, ‘Be the
metals. Basically, you cannot al- all cannabis, including industrial sities nationwide. Its culture of change you want to see in the
ways believe what you read on the hemp. Due to the recent explosion excellence and innovation, as well world’; at the end of the day, I try
label, and the prevalence of such of hemp-derived CBD products as the researchers’ collaborative to live true to those very powerful
mislabeling, along with the lack of and its great many other industrial spirit, have truly blown me away. I words.”
25