Dr. Hugh D. Riordan, founder of The Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning International, won this prestigious award in 2002. In 2008 Dr. James Jackson was presented the same "Orthomolecular Doctor of the Year" award making The Center the only institution to have two recipients of this honored award. Pictured is Steven Carter with the International Society for Orthomolecular Medicine presenting Dr. Jackson with the "Orthomolecular Doctor of the Year" award, May 2, 2008.

Dr. Jackson holds an Associate degree, two B.S. degrees, and M.S. degree, and a Ph.D. in Physiology, Pharmacology, and Biochemistry

Dr. Jackson has remained the Laboratory Director for Bio-Center Laboratory for 20 years, during which time he has also held the position of Senior Research Consultant for The Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning International, Inc. He has published over 115 scientific articles and received numerous grants for nutrition and cancer research. He was involved in the initial research on I.V. vitamin C and cancer with Dr. Hugh Riordan during that time as well.

Dr. Jackson has also presented numerous lectures at national and international meetings. He.is a regular presenter during The Center's Lunch and Lecture Series and has written many articles for the Health Hunter Newsletter.

Wichita, KS March 20, 2008 - Scientists at the Bio-Communications Research Institute (BCRI), a division of The Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning International (CIHFI), received a prestigious award for a scientific article about its recent stem cell discovery. The scientific journal article entitled "Endometrial regenerative cells: A novel stem cell population" received BioMed Central¹s Research Article of the Year in Medicine Award sponsored by Microsoft Research. Dr. Xiaolong Meng, the lead author of the article and Associate Director of BCRI was in London, England yesterday to receive the award at the Royal Society of Medicine alongside Tom Ichim, co-author and CEO of MediStem Laboratories, Inc. The paper was published in November 2007 in the Journal of Translational Medicine. The award recognizes excellence in research that has been made universally accessible through open access publication in one of BioMed Central's peer

BCRI led the research team, composed of U.S. and Canadian scientists who identified and characterized a new type of stem cell that can be reproducibly isolated from menstrual blood collected from healthy women.

"We are extremely proud of the international recognition our scientists and collaborators are receiving for the discovery of this new type of stem cell," said Dr. Neil Riordan, co-author and President of MediStem. "We believe that these adult stem cells, which we have termed endometrial regenerative cells (ERC), offer a novel alternative to embryonic stem cells which are fraught with scientific and ethical issues."

"The ERC population appears to be superior to other stem cell types. These cells do not require matching with the recipient, they home to areas of injury or tissue damage, and they can differentiate into most of the tissue types found in the body," said Dr. Xiaolong Meng.

About BCRI: BCRI is actively involved in multiple research projects, ranging from converting adult stem cells into natural killer cells (potent anti-tumor cells), the effects of nutrients on adult stem cells, and cutting edge cancer research. BCRI is a division of The Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning International, Inc. and relies on donations from individuals, corporations and foundations. CIHFI is a 32 year old not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization located in Wichita, KS.