I am a board-certified psychiatrist and Clinical Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine. My other professional roles include contributing to the Baylor Center for Medical Ethics as a Health Policy Scholar with the Ethical and Legal Implications of Psychedelics in Society (ELIPSIS) Program, to the American Society of Ketamine Physicians, Psychotherapists, and Practitioners (ASKP3) as Expert Faculty, and to West Eastern Health as a Medical Advisory Board Member. I have advanced training as a behavioral pharmacologist and postdoctoral fellow with the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelics and Consciousness Research, where I studied and facilitated the use of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and other cutting-edge interventions for mental health. I completed medical school and residency training with Baylor College of Medicine and the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, with a focus on conventional medication management, psychotherapy, and research.

As a clinician, I treat individuals struggling with a variety of conditions, including depression, anxiety, and trauma. My approach to psychotherapy is broadly informed and relationally oriented, drawing especially from cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic therapies. I acknowledge the harm that has come from the over-medicalization of suffering and believe in only the judicious use of psychiatric medications. Decisions around prescribing or de-prescribing are made collaboratively with patients and include careful exploration of the reasons for medication change, the best available evidence, and risk-benefit analysis. I provide consultations for individuals who are interested in safe, long-term tapering for psychiatric medications (e.g., benzodiazepines/antidepressants) and are appropriate candidates for medication discontinuation.

As a researcher, I have investigated and produced numerous scientific publications on topics such as behavioral models of addiction and cognitive impairment, the neuropsychiatric effects of cannabis, and the clinical properties of psychedelic-type therapies like ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin. I have worked as a scientific collaborator, study physician, and session therapist for multiple clinical trials of psilocybin-assisted interventions. I have also worked as a physician-investigator for Phase 1 – 3 schizophrenia and depression drug development studies in commercial research settings. These opportunities have for me highlighted the unique potential for psychedelics to facilitate healing and enhance wellbeing when used under appropriate conditions that consider drug risk and benefit. In South Florida and beyond, I am committed to the eventual development of these and other innovative treatments within healthcare infrastructures that are safe, sustainable, and patient-centered.

See curriculum vitae.