A Cosmic View
One of my most treasured possessions is a hand transcribed passage of Carl Sagan’s by my grandfather, who was a reclusive artist. The passage eloquently describes the origins of the universe, a reminder of how small, yet how connected we all are to each other and planet earth.
My mother and co-founder grew up with the influence of her father’s cosmic fascination, and pursued a prestigious career as a research scientist; I chose a late path as a creative. In our own ways, we both followed his curiosity about the world, the elegant waltz of science and art; reason and bodily intuition.
In 2017, we launched Cosmic View as a marriage of traditional herbalism and science and brand-forward storytelling. The company mirrors our own obsession with pure earth products that honor our role as caretakers of this planet and the cosmic order of nature.
“Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.”
- Carl Sagan
Christine Skibola, PhD
Christine Skibola is a former UC Berkeley professor and a leading international cancer researcher. Semi-retired from academia, she is pursuing her passion helping those with cancer and other chronic illnesses through lifestyle and dietary changes and holistic approaches. Using her scientific background, Christine produces Cosmic View’s topical and supplemental cannabis formulations aimed at helping individuals with health conditions.
Christine was a Professor of Epidemiology and an Endowed Chair of Oncology in the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama, Birmingham until 2016. She received an MS and PhD in Environmental Health Sciences with an emphasis in toxicology and genomics at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, where she remained as a faculty until she was recruited to UAB in 2012. Her main research focused on the study of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that influence cancer risk and disease. She is considered an international leader in the molecular epidemiology of lymphoma and is currently an Adjunct Professor at the Emory School of Medicine. Dr. Skibola is author of over 100 peer-reviewed science journal articles in prestigious publications such as Nature Genetics, Blood, Lancet Oncology, and JAMA Oncology. Before she (mostly) retired from academia, she worked with doctors from the Mayo Clinic, Harvard Medical School, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Memorial Sloan Kettering and UCSF to name a few.
Dr. Skibola is interested in the role of diet, lifestyle and mind-body practices in the prevention and treatment of cancer, as well as exploring how cannabis may be used to treat cancer symptoms and disease. Dr. Skibola is passionate about directly empowering patients regarding their health.
Nicole Skibola
Nicole Skibola is a cancer survivor and creative living in West Marin, California. Her passion for holistic health deepened after surviving a rare endometrial cancer at a young age. Nicole has been interested in cannabis products, particularly CBD extractions for her ongoing physical health, notably for its calming and anti-inflammatory properties.
Nicole is the author of Wakeful Night, published with Dottir Press in the fall of 2018. Wakeful Night is an illustrated exploration of cancer-related loss she developed to lead readers through their own stages of identity, fear, and metaphorical thinking associated with a cancer diagnosis. Through art -- the book also contains a series of Skibola’s abstract linocut prints and India ink paintings -- and some narrative storytelling, Wakeful Night aims to support readers to understand their experience of cancer and develop a creative practice.
Nicole brings business savvy and a love for beautiful packaging and modern aesthetic to Cosmic View. She is interested in gardening, all aspects of plants and the role of personal storytelling in making sense of life's unexpected turns. She has worked with the USC Norris Cancer Center and the Brooklyn Cottage and she is a regular contributor for A Women’s Thing, a print and online magazine based in New York where she writes about entrepreneurship, feminism and finding your path.
