Adam Levin, M.D. is a resident in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Ohio State University School of Medicine. He received his M.D. from the Louisiana State University School of Medicine where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. While completing his medical degree, he studied the anxiolytic and antidepressant properties of psilocybin and ketamine in animal models of depression in the lab of Charles Nichols, PhD. His current research and clinical interests include the therapeutic applications of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of addiction and in Veterans with PTSD, the implications of drug policy for medical education and practice, and the overlap between psychiatry and spirituality. In addition to his clinical responsibilities, he serves as a facilitator for the mindfulness-based stress reduction program, Mindfulness in Motion, which targets individuals in high stress work environments. Dr. Levin has been recognized for both his clinical work and his role in medical student education and was the recipient of the 2021 Arnold P. Gold Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award.

Dr. Alan Davis is an Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education in the College of Social Work at the Ohio State University. Their research involves the exploration of psychedelic substance use in community, ceremonial/spiritual, and clinical settings. They conduct clinical trials examining the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy for treating depression, fibromyalgia, co-occurring depression and alcohol misuse, and PTSD. They also facilitate educational programming about psychedelic science for students, communities, and clinicians. They have published more than 90 scientific articles on topics from substance use/misuse, harm reduction and benefit enhancement, as well as several studies of the clinical use of psychedelics for mental health and substance use disorder treatment.

Anita is studying Neuroscience and Pharmaceutical Sciences at The Ohio State University. She joined the team as a research assistant for the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education. While on the journey in becoming a Neuroscientist for drug development, she also has a passion for music. In her free time, she writes, records, and releases music. She also enjoys being at church with friends and admiring the beauty in nature.

Brian Pace, PhD teaches Psychedelic Studies: Neurobiology, Plants, Fungi, and Society in the Department of Plant Pathology at The Ohio State University. He was trained as an evolutionary ecologist, specializing in phytochemistry, ethnobotany, and ecophysiology. He is the Politics and Ecology Editor at Psymposia, a 501c3 watchdog. His research has examined ideology and psychedelic experiences. It has been featured in VICE, translated into French and Italian, and covered internationally. A former US Borlaug Global Food Security Fellow, he has conducted field work in Southern Mexico, the US midwestern prairie, and the Ecuadorian Amazon. For more than a decade, Brian has worked on agroecology and climate change. Along the way, he has taught several university courses on cannabis.

Carsten Fisher is a behavioral psychologist by training, experienced in working with populations diagnosed with an array of mental health challenges and passionate harm reduction advocate. Carsten has been a student of psychedelic-assisted healing modalities and integration practice, and his passion is grounded in service of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities, prioritizing accessibility & equity, harm reduction, and disrupting systems of oppression that impact the psychedelic community. In his personal life, Carsten likes to rock climb, study and practice Zen Buddhism, write poetry, and eat yummy food with friends

Grace is the Program Coordinator for the CPDRE. After growing up in New York City, Grace attended Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, where she earned her Bachelors in Scientific and Philosophical Studies of Mind in 2018. Since then, Grace has lived and worked in New York, NY and Baltimore, MD. She now lives in Eugene, OR where she also works for Source Research Foundation as their administrative associate, coordinating their grant programs and working with board members to grow the organization. In her free time, she enjoys bouldering and playing with her two cats. She also engages in community organizing in the Eugene area.

Dr. Slot is a Fungal Biologist in the Department of Plant Pathology at the Ohio State University and the Director of Educational Initiatives for the CPDRE. Dr. Slot conducts basic research in fungal evolutionary ecology, including the ecology and evolutionary genomics of psychedelic mushrooms. His lab has been central to early discoveries in the genetics of psilocybin production. Dr. Slot is author on over 60 scientific articles and book chapters in the areas of mycology, genome evolution, and natural product research. As a formally trained science educator, he has developed courses, workshops, and curricula on the secondary, college, and graduate levels, including an interdisciplinary undergraduate Mycology Minor, and he contributes an ecological perspective to our core Psychedelic Studies courses.

Matthew G.E. Meyer is a PhD candidate in the Environmental Science Graduate Program at The Ohio State University. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Whitman College, where he conducted his senior thesis research on the effects of Psilocybe cubensis extracts on various invertebrates and microorganisms. Matthew's current research focuses on evolutionary chemical ecology, specifically the fungal production of psilocybin. In addition to research, Matthew also instructs the "Science of Fungi: Mycology" lab course. Prior to his graduate studies, Matthew worked as a Microscopy Specialist at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology and as a Research Consultant at Iridia, Inc. Along with his academic pursuits, Matthew is involved in community organizing.

Meghan DellaCrosse, Psy.D., is a strengths-oriented clinical psychologist specializing in working with people with serious mental illness and applying acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions. She completed pre-doctoral internship training at the Early Psychosis Intervention Center at the Ohio State University (OSU) Medical Center, and received her doctorate from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. Currently, Dr. DellaCrosse is a post-doctoral scholar working with Dr. Alan K. Davis at the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education at the OSU College of Social Work (Columbus, OH). She has worked with the TrPR program at UCSF investigating psilocybin’s effect on mental health conditions such as depression, and Parkinson’s disease, as well as bipolar disorder in collaboration with the CREST.BD group at the University of British Columbia. As a psychedelic researcher, Dr. DellaCrosse is interested in understanding the subjective experiences and therapeutic impact of psychedelic drugs in the contexts of understudied conditions and populations, as well as risk and safety issues. As a researcher-clinician, Dr. DellaCrosse is motivated by her interests in trauma-informed and culturally sensitive approaches, as well as her lifetime research goal to advance our understanding of body/mind relationships in mental health care.

Michael Blogna is the Founder and CEO of Trusted Human Capital, an executive advisory firm dedicated to helping mission-led, impact-driven businesses and Family Offices across the globe. He is an advisor to several organizations including Digital Evolution Institute, NextGen Leader Group, Family Office Alpha and multiple start-ups in the health, tech & mental wellness space. Michael and his team partner with founders, executives, and advisory boards across multiple business sectors. He has a strong passion for making meaningful introductions through connection, communication, and lasting impact.

Dr. Michael J. Broman is an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University College of Social Work and a Faculty Affiliate of the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research & Education. His research is focused on systemic barriers and facilitators for substance use treatment and recovery, including policy that helps or hinders those processes. Dr. Broman’s dissertation research on college students in recovery supported a grant application to develop a collegiate recovery program at Wayne State University. In addition to continuing his research on college students in recovery, Dr. Broman is teaming up with CPDRE to investigate how drug policy impacts the potential use of psilocybin, ketamine, and other substances in mental health treatment. Dr. Broman has published his research in multiple journals, including the Journal of Community Health, Substance Use & Misuse, Addiction Research & Theory, and the Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse. Before joining the OSU College of Social Work faculty, Dr. Borman earned his Ph.D. at the Wayne State University School of Social Work. His post-MSW practice experience was in the areas of substance use treatment for adults, and prevention for youth.

Nathan Sepeda leads data management efforts at The Ohio State University Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education (CPDRE). He is responsible for designing the data infrastructure for the CPDRE and developing automated pipelines to analyze and harmonize data across a variety of psychedelic studies. In addition to his role at the CPDRE, Nathan is also the Director of Data & Analytics at the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research (CPCR).

Neşe Devenot, PhD (she/they) is a Postdoctoral Associate at the Institute for Research in Sensing (IRiS) at the University of Cincinnati and the Medicine, Society & Culture Research Fellow at Psymposia. She previously completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Bioethics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and she received her PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Pennsylvania. Her scholarship examines bioethical approaches to psychedelic medicine, and she conducts research on the function of metaphor and other literary devices in narrative accounts of psychedelic experiences. They were awarded “Best Humanities Publication in Psychedelic Studies” from Breaking Convention in 2016 and received the Article Prize for best publication in Romanticism Studies from European Romantic Review in 2020. They were a 2015-16 Research Fellow at the New York Public Library's Timothy Leary Papers and a Research Fellow with the New York University Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety Study, where they participated in the first qualitative study of patient experiences. They have presented on psychedelics at conferences in the United States, Mexico, Canada, England, France, the Netherlands, and Australia.

Paul Nagib is a second-year medical student at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. While obtaining his Bachelor of Science in Biology at Florida Atlantic University, his interest in emerging research fields, including that of psychedelics, grew under the mentorship of Daniel Jewelewicz, MD. Prior to medical school, Paul’s extensive time living in a Coptic monastery, teaching English summer courses in Egypt, and working with non-profit organizations internationally furthered his education in indigenous and humanistic anthropologies. During medical school, Paul formally trained in health quality and patient safety research as an intern of the Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute. Alongside his behavioral research investigating substance abuse and prescribing habits, his research on the clinical impacts of drug policy was awarded funding by the Moritz College of Law Drug Enforcement and Policy Center. He founded the Consciousness Research Interest Group to network interprofessional students, faculty, and experts in the psychedelic sector. In 2021, their legislation supporting psychedelic research was adopted by the Ohio State Medical Association. His medical education is especially supplemented by the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education as it informs mindfulness-oriented patient encounters, educates on the therapy development process, and offers rigorous experience in clinical research - all elements which he will utilize in his career.

Rafaelle Lancelotta, MS, LPC is a PhD student at The Ohio State University College of Social Work studying the importance of human relationship in psychedelic therapy interventions. They received their Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Wyoming and worked for several years as a somatic-focused, trauma-informed counselor who has supported clients use of cannabis and ketamine to enhance the therapeutic process. They are passionate about increasing accessibility and responsible clinical applications of psychedelics/entheogens for under-represented populations. Rafaelle aims to use their clinical skills combined with doctoral level research training to design, carry out, and integrate clinical research as part of diverse teams to influence changes in the mental healthcare system that can serve to improve mental health outcomes for people from all walks of life. Rafaelle also serves as a Board Member for the Source Research Foundation, a non-profit grant organization geared towards supporting students and communities working on psychedelic-related projects.

Dr. Armstrong joined The Ohio State University in Spring 2022 and is a Senior Researcher in the College of Social Work. She completed her graduate training at Bowling Green State University, which included an internship at the University of Michigan’s Mary A. Rackham Institute. In 2016, she completed a clinical post-doctoral fellowship at Summa Health’s Traumatic Stress Center in Akron, OH. She is a clinical psychologist specializing in treating trauma and traumatic stress across the lifespan. At OSU, Dr. Armstrong is pursuing the integration of practice and research investigating medication-assisted treatment among individuals with various mental health concerns, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition to researching novel treatments for PTSD among adults, her research program also includes the impacts of other stressors, like cyber-victimization and problematic media use, among adolescents. Through her research, Dr. Armstrong seeks to promote the psychological wellbeing of individuals across the lifespan who experience a range of stressors, including trauma, and are experiencing distress.

Steven Wallace is an undergraduate student at The Ohio State University and will be graduating in Spring 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience. Prior to being an undergraduate student, Steven was enlisted in the Navy for six years and stationed for four years on the USS Louisiana, a ballistic missile submarine based out of Silverdale, WA. After separating from the Navy, he eventually became more intrigued by emerging research on Psilocybin and MDMA and their potential application for psychiatric diseases that are prevalent within the veteran community. He then decided that he wanted to pursue an education in medicine and explore research in psychedelics further. Outside of being a pre-med student, Steven enjoys being physically active through yoga, cycling, and any movement involving a kettlebell. He also works as a nursing assistant at the OSU Brain & Spine Hospital where he works with patients undergoing orthopedic and spinal surgery.

Tammy teaches African diaspora history at Howard University. She earned her B.A. in international history, magna cum laude, from Harvard University and her Ph.D. in American history and African diaspora studies from Princeton University. Tammy’s teaching, writing, and service to her community are connected through her interest in art, social justice, and biography as a methodological approach. Her current book project, Hear my Freedom, is a biography of rock & roll virtuoso Jimi Hendrix centering on the spiritual dimensions of his music. Tammy's research on race, feminism, art, and politics has been featured in various media outlets including TEDx, the American Civil Liberty Union's blog, NPR, and Vox.com. Dr. Brown’s selected awards include the Heanon Wilkins Faculty Fellowship and the Lavatus Powell Outstanding Faculty Diversity Award at Miami University, National Endowment for the Humanities’ Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant, and a research grant from the Gilder Lehrman Institute.

Taweh Hunter is an undergraduate research assistant for the CPDRE. He attended Columbia University and is currently pursuing his bachelor's degree in Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience. His passion lies in better comprehending the underlying neural mechanisms behind consciousness and the therapeutic benefits of psychedelic therapy. Following his undergraduate studies, he plans on pursuing a PhD with a focus on consciousness and psychedelic research.

Terence Ching (he/him) is a clinical psychologist and associate research scientist in the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. Terence co-leads the development and conduct of psilocybin clinical trials for OCD as part of the Yale OCD Research Clinic and the Yale Program for Psychedelic Science, under the mentorship of Benjamin Kelmendi, MD, and Christopher Pittenger, MD, PhD. Terence received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Connecticut. Prior to moving to the United States, Terence received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in psychology from the National University of Singapore. He has interests and expertise in: (1) fear-/trauma-based disorders (OCD, anxiety disorders, PTSD); (2) exposure-based, integrative cognitive-behavior therapies (CBT); (3) culturally attuned care; and (4) therapeutic applications of psychedelics. Terence has completed clinical training in a variety of settings, including the University of Connecticut, the Institute of Living, as well as Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Terence approaches psychotherapy from an evidence-based and culturally attuned perspective, and specializes in exposure-based CBT for fear-/trauma-based disorders. Terence has also received training in functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP). Additionally, Terence is a MAPS-certified psychedelic therapist in MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) for PTSD, and provides ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) for individuals with anxiety and depression.

Dr. Wagener is a Professor and the Leonard J. Immke, Jr. and Charlotte L. Immke Chair in Cancer Research in the Department of Internal Medicine at OSU, and the Founding Director of the Center for Tobacco Research and co-leader of the Cancer Control Program at The OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center. A clinical psychologist by training, his research program focuses on addiction, cancer prevention, and tobacco regulatory science, with a specialized focus on evaluating the behavioral, pharmacological, and toxicological effects of cigarette and non-cigarette tobacco products (e.g., e-cigarettes, hookah, oral nicotine products, heated tobacco products). His work has been extramurally funded since 2012, serving as the principal investigator or co-investigator on more than 30 NIH- and FDA-funded grants. Dr. Wagener is also committed to mentoring and training the next generation of addiction and cancer prevention researchers. He has mentored/co-mentored numerous student-led projects as well as graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who have gone on to prestigious psychology residencies, fellowships, and academic faculty positions. He has served as the primary mentor on seven NIH training awards, as well as a co-mentor on more than 20 others.

Yitong Xin is a Ph.D. Candidate in the College of Social Work at The Ohio State University. Her overarching research areas focus on four themes: substance use, harm reduction, trauma, and resilience. Specifically, her research focuses on understanding the complex interactions among the risk factor of trauma and the protective factor of resilience, utilizing a harm-reduction treatment approach (e.g., psychedelic-assisted therapies, non-abstinent treatment goals) for people with substance misuse behaviors and mental health issues. Yitong is a Licensed Social Worker and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) trained therapist in the state of Ohio. Yitong has practiced as a clinical social worker since 2016 in outpatient mental health settings.