Pure Earth is proud to honor three trailblazing women with the 2025 “Force of Nature” Award at its International Women’s Day celebration. This annual event sheds light on the global impact of pollution on women, maternal, and child health while highlighting innovative solutions to address this critical issue.
We are excited to announce this year’s distinguished honorees:
- Catherine Lufkin, Senior Director, Global Point of Care, Meridian Bioscience, LLC
- Jaclyn Bowen, Executive Director, Clean Label Project
- Kathryn M. Huarte, Senior Business Development Executive and Treasurer, Pure Earth Board of Directors
The Force of Nature celebration will take place on March 6, 2025, at Affirmation Arts in New York City. This special evening will honor these exceptional leaders for their dedicated advocacy, and efforts to secure increased attention and resources to enhance environmental health around the world.
Pollution is a major threat to women’s health, with exposure to toxins like lead and mercury posing unique risks, particularly to reproductive health. These harmful exposures can have long-term, multigenerational consequences, affecting not only women but also their families for years to come. Pure Earth’s research published in The Lancet Planetary Health found that in 2019, 3.92 million women died from pollution and an estimated 350,000 women died from lead (Pb) pollution alone.
Our honorees have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to combating these issues and reducing pollution’s devastating effects on women and children. Through their research, advocacy, medical device development, philanthropy, and entrepreneurial initiatives, across many sectors, they continue to make substantial strides in the global fight against toxic pollution.
“On behalf of Pure Earth’s global team, I extend our gratitude for the contributions of these awardees—Catherine Lufkin, Jaclyn Bowen, and Kathryn Huarte—and their relentless commitment to safeguard women, children, and vulnerable communities from the harms of toxic pollution,” says Drew McCartor, Pure Earth President.
Pure Earth’s 2025 Force of Nature Honorees
Catherine Lufkin, Senior Director, Global Point of Care at Meridian Bioscience, LLC
Catherine Lufkin is the Senior Director of Global Point of Care at Meridian Bioscience Inc., a life science company that develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes diagnostic and life science products, including devices that offer fast and accurate blood lead results.
Catherine leads strategic initiatives including their partnership with Pure Earth, which involves the donation and distribution of Meridian’s LeadCare 2 blood lead testing equipment to Pure Earth’s country offices enabling vital health surveillance in under-resourced communities.
In addition, Catherine coordinated the team that ultimately won first prize in the 2024 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Lead Detect Prize. This prestigious competition fostered the development of innovative, rapid lead detection technologies at the point of care, significantly enhancing public health efforts to prevent lead exposure and increase the accessibility of blood lead testing.
Passionate about driving innovation in healthcare, she continues to shape the future of diagnostics through her leadership and strategic vision.
“I am deeply honored to be recognized with Pure Earth’s Force of Nature Award. Ensuring access to accurate and reliable blood lead testing is critical in the fight against lead exposure and its devastating health effects. This recognition highlights the importance of collaboration in protecting vulnerable communities, and I am grateful to work alongside organizations dedicated to creating a healthier, lead-free future.”- Catherine Lufkin.
Jaclyn Bowen MPH, MS, Executive Director Clean Label Project
Jaclyn Bowen MPH, MS is a food safety and quality systems engineer and executive director of Clean Label Project, a US-based national non-profit and consumer advocacy organization with the mission to bring truth and transparency to food and consumer product labeling. Through data, science, and benchmarking, Clean Label Project uses retail sampling and testing to benchmark product quality and purity of best-selling food and consumer products and award Clean Label Project’s coveted evidence-based Purity Award. Bowen was the researcher and co-author behind the largest academic peer-reviewed study ever conducted on lead and cadmium in baby food and infant formula which was published in the international multidisciplinary journal, Science of the Total Environment.
“Being recognized as a Force of Nature by Pure Earth is both humbling and motivating. The real force lies in the communities, advocates, and everyday heroes working relentlessly to create a cleaner, safer world. I am grateful to stand alongside so many agents of change working to protect the vulnerable and shaping a healthier future for all.” – Jaclyn Bowen.
Kathryn M. Huarte, Treasurer, Pure Earth Board of Directors
Kathryn Huarte is the Treasurer for the Pure Earth Board of Directors and is a Senior Business Development Executive with over 20 years of experience in internet, finance, and government. She develops and executes strategies to launch and grow organizations. As the founder of Huarte Advisors, Ms. Huarte consults start-up stage Internet companies on financing and operations, revises business plans, professionalizes marketing materials, recommends fundraising sources, advises on partnerships, business development, and growth plans.
“All children worldwide deserve a ‘Pure Earth’ free from toxic pollution. That’s why I have been proud to support Pure Earth as Treasurer of the Board for the past seven years. I am very honored to accept this ‘Force of Nature’ Award alongside Catherine Lufkin and Jackie Bowen, trailblazers in environmental health.” – Kathryn M. Huarte.
Pure Earth is committed to equitably addressing pollution issues, contributing to gender-disaggregated data on pollution’s impacts, ensuring participation in project activities and project benefits are equitable, and empowering women to be agents of change in the fight against toxic pollution.
Upcoming Webinar on Women’s Health
In honor of International Women’s Day 2025, please also join us for a webinar on the critical issue of pollution’s impact on women’s health, Toxic Exposures and Women’s Health: Emerging Research and Global Solutions.
When: March 13, 2025 at 9am EST
Where: Virtual
Leading researchers from Columbia University, Universidad Iberoamericana, SUNY Downstate, and the Clean Label Project will present new data on the impacts of heavy metal exposure on pregnant and breastfeeding women. Surprising new findings will be revealed on toxic metal contaminants in tampons, baby foods, prenatal vitamins, cookware and cosmetics. An expert panel will explain exposure risk, health impacts, and what you can do to reduce risk for yourself and the most vulnerable – developing fetuses, infants and young children.
Join us to explore how empowering women in communities drives lasting change and how gender-informed programming improves health outcomes for women, children, and future generations. After the presentation, the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions in an open Q&A session.
Panelists include:
- Jackie Bowen, Executive Director, The Clean Label Project
- Dr. Alejandra Cantoral, Professor, Universidad Iberoamericana
- Dr. Laura Greer, Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, SUNY Downstate
- Dr. Kathrin Schilling, Assistant Professor, Columbia University Irving Medical Center of Environmental Health Sciences
Registration is required to attend.
