An opportunity to reflect

A farewell note from Dr Lesley Braun, Director of Blackmores Institute after more than 10 years at the helm of Blackmores Institute.

Blackmores Institute was established in 2012 with a vision of continuing Maurice Blackmore’s work in pioneering natural medicine research, education and championing the complementary medicine industry.

Since that day, Blackmores Institute has delivered regular newsletters, social media communications, white papers exploring topical issues, clinical reference documents and award-winning education programs as well as leading a comprehensive research program whilst expanding the Blackmores Institute footprint across Australasia.

A testament to the way in which Blackmores Institute remains at the forefront of natural medicines education, research and advocacy is the 28 awards that the team has won, including several individual awards:

• 2023 – Winner of the ‘NutraChampion’ award from NutraIngredients Asia (Lesley Braun)
• 2022 – Winner of the ‘Lady Cilento’ award from CMA (Lesley Braun)
• 2021 – Winner of the ‘Most Outstanding Contribution to Research or Education’ award from CMA (BeCertified and CMEd Certification)
• 2018 – Winner of ‘Health and Pharmaceutical Executive of the Year’ award from CEO Magazine (Lesley Braun)

We asked Lesley to reflect on her time at Blackmores Institute over the past decade.

“Leading Blackmores Institute has been one of the greatest privileges of my career, and I am so proud of what our team has and continues to achieve. 

One of the main things that stands out from my time working at Blackmores Institute is the people. None of our achievements would have been possible without the amazing group of talented, passionate and creative individuals who have made up our team throughout the years.

Some of the key highlights during my time at Blackmores Institute include:

• Development and implementation of our award-winning Complementary Medication Education (CMEd) program now available across five countries.
• Development of the Complementary Medicine Interactions Guide (CMIG) – now at its 11th edition!
• Winning the prestigious Lady Cilento Lifetime Achievement award from the CMA - the highest award given by the CMA recognising those that have made lifelong contributions to the industry.
• The release of the Mental Wellbeing Book, released at a key moment in time when mental health was at its lowest following the pandemic.
• Developing multiple green papers with Tsinghua University in China on important public health topics.
• Educating obstetricians and gynaecologists on the important role of micronutrients in pregnancy across Asia.
• Grew the Blackmores Institute membership to just under 40,000 members across multiple platforms.
• Editor in Chief of Fx Medicine leading it to become one of the top 5% podcasts in 2022 on Spotify.

It has been an absolute pleasure, and I have full confidence that the Blackmores Institute will continue to grow and have a positive influence in the future.”

- Dr Lesley Braun

As we enter the next chapter for Blackmores Institute, we would like to take the opportunity to thank Dr Lesley Braun for her passion and dedication. We are deeply grateful for her invaluable contributions and her unwavering commitment to combining the best of nature and science, extending the evidence base for natural medicines and sharing her wealth of knowledge.

Blackmores Institute will remain a strong, passionate and influential industry advocate recognised as an important centre for excellence of Health Science communications and research. We will continue to drive industry thought leadership and educate healthcare practitioners on the latest science and its practical application in natural medicine to promote safe and confident prescribing.

Appendix

Year	Name of Course	Company	Level	Category
2018	Superkids®	LearnX	Gold	Best Bite-size Learning Design
2018	Superkids®	LearnX	Gold	Best Free eLearning Design
2018	Superkids®	AITD	Winner	Best eLearning Program
2018	CMEd MY Bronze	NutraIngredients	Winner	Best Nutrition Research Program
2018	Dr Lesley Braun	CEO Magazine	Winner	Health and Pharmaceutical Executive of the Year Award
2019	Superkids®	Brandon Hall	Gold	Best Customer Training
2019	Superkids®	Brandon Hall	Bronze	Best Results of a Learning Program
2019	CMEd MY Bronze	AITD	Winner	Best Blended Learning Solution
2019	Thailand Retail Launch	LearnX	Platinum	Best Learning & Development Project - Product Knowledge and Training
2020	CMEd MY Silver	Brandon Hall	Gold	Best eLearning Team
2020	Thailand Retail - Everyday Health	Brandon Hall	Silver	Best Use of Video
2021	BeCertified and CMEd Certification	CMA	Winner	Most Outstanding Contribution to Research or Education
2022	BeCertified Malaysia	LearnX	Diamond	Best Learning & Talent Development - Product Knowledge Training
2023	Dr Lesley Braun	NutraIngredients-Asia	Winner	NutraChampion