Advisors including Dr. Gabor Maté and Zach Walsh bring training and expertise in psychedelic-assisted therapy and mental health treatment
VANCOUVER (June 24, 2020) – Numinus Wellness Inc. (“Numinus”; TSX-V: NUMI) is pleased to announce its Clinical Advisory Council, chaired by Numinus Chief Medical Officer Dr. Evan Wood. Leveraging the expertise of its members, the council will be responsible for program development, knowledge mobilization and driving policy change in the psychedelic assisted therapy space.
“Our Clinical Advisory Council brings together scientific, mental health and clinical leaders to explore the potential of psychedelic assisted therapies in a safe, controlled therapeutic environment,” says Dr. Wood. “The council will work with company leadership to drive Numinus forward and engage policy makers and legislators to create the conditions where psychedelic therapies can be considered and advanced.”
Joining Dr. Wood as initial members of the Clinical Advisory Council are recognized leaders in research and healthcare, including:
- Dr. Gabor Maté, Retired Physician and Bestselling Author: Dr. Maté is a mental health and addiction specialist and retired physician who, after 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, worked for over a decade in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. Dr. Maté is a bestselling author who has pioneered therapies and innovative, trauma-based approaches to mental health, earning him widespread recognition from the healthcare community. drgabormate.com
- Dr. Pam Kryskow, Physician and Clinical Instructor, University of British Columbia: Dr. Kryskow is trained in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, chronic pain management, family medicine, rural emergency medicine and Functional Medicine. She practices medicine in British Columbia and is a clinical instructor in the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Kryskow is currently working with other university experts on research related to ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, psychedelic microdosing, MDMA for chronic pain, psilocybin and psychedelic therapy. She is actively involved with colleagues bringing scientific education around psychedelic medicines to the forefront. med.ubc.ca
- Dr. Devon Christie, Medical Director, Numinus: Dr. Christie is a family physician with a focused practice in Multidisciplinary Pain Management and a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor, emphasizing Relational Somatic Therapy for trauma resolution. She is trained to deliver MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD (MAPS USA) and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in a research setting. Dr. Christie is certified in Functional Medicine, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Interpersonal Mindfulness and Kundalini Yoga. She is a recognized speaker and expert on the potential of incorporating psychedelic-assisted therapies in an integrated healthcare model and is a teacher in the postgraduate ‘Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research’ program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).
- Zach Walsh, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of British Columbia: Walsh is a clinical psychologist and Research Affiliate with the BC Centre on Substance Use. As an associate professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, he directs the Therapeutic, Recreational, and Problematic Substance Use lab. Walsh has published and presented widely on topics related to psychedelics, cannabis, mental health and psychotherapy. He is an investigator for several ongoing studies of the therapeutic use of psychedelics and has worked clinically on trials of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. psych.ubc.ca
- Kate Browning, Registered Nurse and Administrator & Instructor, Holistic Health, Langara College: Browning is a registered nurse specialized in mental health and substance use, psychotherapist, somatic therapist specialized in trauma and attachment, educator and doctoral candidate in clinical psychology. She was trained in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy at the Orenda Institute and with the Center for Transformational Psychotherapy. Browning has worked in a variety of healthcare and educational settings for over 25 years as a clinician, clinical supervisor, consultant, educator and lecturer and is currently an administrator and instructor in Continuing Studies with Langara College’s Holistic Health division. She is a former licensed and registered midwife with extensive training in subtle energy and consciousness-based healing practices. langara.ca
- Dr. Jason Marr, Founder & Director, Evoke Integrative Medicine Ltd.: Marr is a naturopathic doctor, performance and productivity coach and a health and wellness speaker. His evidence-informed, holistic and integrative approach helps professionals and corporate leadership teams overcome fatigue, anxiety and burnout while maximizing performance, productivity and resilience. evokemedicine.com
The Clinical Advisory Council will provide guidance and support on regulatory change, program design and protocol development. Members will leverage connections in the healthcare community to collaborate with leading researchers and groups working in mental illness, addiction and trauma treatment as well as provide their unique lenses of expertise on due diligence for clinic acquisitions and Numinus’s planned flagship wellness centre. The council adds strength to Numinus’s integrative approach to driving accessibility of psychedelic-assisted therapies for all.
“We’re proud to be working with the members of our Clinical Advisory Council to find new approaches to supplement existing treatment options for mental health, addiction and trauma,” says Numinus CEO Payton Nyquvest. “Their expertise will be vital as we work with health officials, leading research organizations, medical and therapeutic governing bodies and others to create an environment where psychedelic-assisted therapies can be made available as part of our healthcare system.”
Advisory Council Members
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About Numinus
Numinus is a Vancouver-based health care company helping to support the universal desire to heal and be well. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary Salvation Botanicals, Numinus has a Health Canada cannabis testing licence that allows the Company to test and analyze cannabis products from licensed producers. In addition, it is a late-stage applicant to receive a Health Canada standard processing licence to produce cannabis products. Numinus, through the same subsidiary, also has a dealer’s licence which allows the Company to test, possess, buy and sell MDMA, psilocybin, psilocin, DMT and mescaline, as well as produce and extract psilocybin from mushrooms. The Health Canada license also allows import/export, testing and R&D of these substances. The expanded licence will allow Numinus to support the growing number of studies on the potential benefits of psychedelic therapies through research projects, product development, and the supply and distribution of these substances. Numinus Wellness is dedicated to therapies that enhance and supplement existing options for people wanting lasting physical, mental and emotional health — with psychedelic treatments at its core when approved for therapeutic and research use. Psychedelics will be part of this offering but will only be available for treatment once approved by regulators and governing bodies — a process Numinus is helping to support. For more information, visit www.numinus.ca.
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