Organizing Committee
Leads
Stefan Aguiar (He/Him)
Program: PhD – Fourth Year
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanaguiar2/
Field of Research: Psychosocial Oncology, MAiD and End of life care
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
If it’s a psychedelic, does that mean there is always a trip?
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Ketamine for existential distress in palliative care populations! That drug works wonders!
Anthaea-Grace Patricia Dennis (She/Her)
Program: PhD – Third Year
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agp-dennis
Field of Research: My research aims to use machine learning and AI for efficient and early Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis and prediction.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
There’s a wave of new research about psychedelics for Parkinson’s disease, and I’m curious to know how they have worked for other conditions and diseases.
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Ketamine, if that counts!
Organizing Team Members
Aria Afsharian (He/Him)
Program: MSc – Second Year
Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/aria-afsharian-366299232
Field of Research: My research is in cell biology where I am investigating how certain signalling proteins interact with one another in the context of a viral infection pathway.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
Learning about the history of psychedelics and how they are used for medical purposes.
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Psilocybin
Jasmine Amini (She/Her)
Program: MSc – Second Year
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-amini/
Field of Research: My research focuses on how adolescents with an acute self-harm or suicide-related concern experience social media, and how social media shapes family functioning and mental health in this population.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
I’m excited to learn more about where Canada is at in terms of integrating (or not integrating) psychedelic therapy into psychiatric care.
Name one psychedelic you already know about.
I would say I know the most about psilocybin because of its popularity but I’ve read work on MDMA, mescaline, and peyote too!
Ezgi Coskun (She/Her)
Program: MSc – First Year
Field of Research: I study how traumatic brain injury can lead to long-term problems such as seizures, memory issues, and changes in behavior. Specifically, my research focuses on the kynurenine pathway, which breaks down an amino acid called tryptophan into different chemicals. Some of these chemicals can protect the brain, while others can damage it and make seizures more likely. After a traumatic brain injury, this balance can shift toward producing harmful chemicals. Using animal models, I test whether targeting this pathway can reduce seizure risk and improve recovery.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
I’m most excited to learn how psychedelics influence brain circuits involved in mood, cognition, and neuroplasticity, and whether they can be used safely to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Name one psychedelic you already know about.
I know that psilocybin has gained attention for its potential therapeutic effects in treating depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
Bhavarth Dave
Program: MSc – Second Year
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhavarth-dave-088343167
Field of Research: My research investigates the mechanisms behind medications. for managing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
About their effects in treating a variety of neurological disorders
Name one psychedelic you already know about.
Psilocybin
Jittanan (Meg) Nakpu (She/Her)
Program: MSc – Second Year
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jittanan-nakpu
Field of Research: My research is on developing an ex vivo organ perfusion model for the mouse uterus. Our goal to to study embryo development in real time.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
I’m excited to learn about the view on psychedelics across the years and the stigma around the topic.
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
I guess the one that I know is LSD, but I have very little knowledge of it.
Phuong Nguyen (She/Her)
Program: PhD – Second Year
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phuong-nguyen-592287118/
Field of Research: Predict drug response outcomes between different spondyloarthritis conditions.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Elsa Salvant (She/Her)
Program: PhD – Fourth year
Field of Research: I study a post-COVID hyperinflammatory disease in children known as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). The goal of my research is to understand the underlying immune mechanisms that lead some children to go on to have MIS-C following acute COVID-19 illness.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
I am most excited to learn about what the future holds for psychedelics in therapy/clinic! The uses and benefits of psychedelics are far more widespread than one would initially expect and so much has changed in terms of the legalization, regulations and commercialization of psychedelics.
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Psilocybin
Steven Shen (He/Him)
Program: MSc – Second Year
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-shen-b4aab6200/
Field of Research: Predicting Crohn’s disease relapse after surgery using microscopic and microbiome features
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
Very interested in learning more about the history of psychedelics and how it transformed to our modern therapies
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Psilocybin!
Abigail Wolfensohn (She/Her)
Program: MSc – Second Year
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigail-wolfensohn/
Field of Research: I study brain health and aging in people living with trigeminal neuralgia, a severe chronic facial pain disorder.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
I’m super curious to learn more about the therapeutic impact of psychedelics from a patient perspective!
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Psilocybin
Harani Uthayakumar (She/Her)
Program: MSc – First Year
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harani-uthayakumar/
Field of Research: My research focuses on understanding why some individuals with dementia develop psychosis, such as hallucinations and delusions. I study how changes in brain structure, alongside blood biomarkers, like phosphorylated tau, amyloid-beta, neurofilament light, and glial fibrillary acidic protein, relate to these symptoms across different dementia subtypes. By integrating brain imaging with biological markers, my work aims to explain why psychosis presents differently across patients, ultimately supporting more targeted and personalized care.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
I’m excited to learn how psychedelics affect brain networks involved in perception and cognition, and how they might inform our understanding of psychosis. I’m particularly interested in whether these compounds could offer new insights into treating neuropsychiatric symptoms in neurodegenerative diseases.
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Psilocybin is a psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms that primarily acts on serotonin receptors in the brain. It is currently being studied for its therapeutic potential in conditions like depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders in controlled clinical settings.
Gisany Ravichandran (She/Her)
Program: MSc – First Year
Social Media: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gisanyravi
Field of Research: My research focuses on identifying the sleep features associated with cognitive resilience in older adults with and without dementia
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
I’m excited to learn how psychedelics are used in clinical practice and integrated into patient care, as well as the diverse ways they have been used throughout history.
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Psilocybin
Areej Mir (She/Her)
Program: MSc – First Year
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/areej-mir-005828242
Field of Research: Studying breast cancer outcomes in immigrant women in Ontario. Comparing the stage of diagnosis, treatment modalities, wait times and survival outcomes between immigrant populations and long-term residents in Ontario, Canada from 2010 to 2025.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
I am most excited to learn how psychedelics may be used safely and ethically in clinical care, especially for mental health treatment. I am also interested in understanding the evidence behind their effects, who may benefit most, and how research can help shape responsible policy and practice.
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Psilocybin is one psychedelic I already know about. It is the active compound found in certain mushrooms and has been studied for its potential role in treating conditions such as depression, anxiety, and end-of-life distress in carefully controlled clinical settings.
Rivka van Klei (She/Her)
Program: MSc – First Year
Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/ rivka-zeng-van-klei-606770231
Field of Research: I study the link between depression and dementia. People who have experienced depression in the past are at a higher chance of developing dementia, but we don’t know why that is. I am using machine learning methods and a large, already collected dataset to try to answer this question.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
How can psychedelics be used ethically for the treatment of people with mental health problems?
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Psilocybin
Alexandra Puchiele (She/Her)
Program: MSc – Second Year
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-puchiele-b17325249/
Field of Research: Sleep Disturbance in Youth with Major Depression
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
Recent advancements in psychedelic research and current opinions on the future of psychedelic use in mental health care.
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Psilocybin
Jennifer Yu (she/her)
Program: MSc – First Year
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferx-y
Field of Research: My research focuses on the emotions of people with neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism and intellectual disabilities. I examine whether there is a bi-directional emotion communication difficulty between autistic and non‑autistic people. I also examine how emotional regulation difficulties develop in youth with intellectual disabilities, what factors contribute to these challenges, and how caregivers and support systems shape and respond to these emotional experiences.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
I’m most excited to learn how psychedelics influence emotional processing and self-awareness in real time, especially in relation to resilience and regulation. I’m curious whether they can help individuals better understand and navigate disruptive emotional experiences, and how these effects vary across different lived experiences and contexts..
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
One psychedelic I already know about is psilocybin, the active compound found in “magic mushrooms.” It’s been studied for its potential therapeutic effects, especially in treating depression, anxiety, and trauma, by altering perception, enhancing emotional processing, and increasing psychological flexibility.
Sreemoyee Ghosh
Program: PhD – Fourth Year
Field of Research: My PhD research involves identifying biomarkers for differentiating two subtypes of psoriatic disease using computational and experimental techniques
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
I’m excited to learn how psychedelics can be used in controlled, therapeutic settings to improve mental health outcomes, particularly in depression, PTSD, and anxiety. Understanding the underlying neural mechanisms and how these experiences can be safely integrated into clinical care is especially compelling.
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Psilocybin
Jessica Hur (she/her)
Program: MSc – First Year
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-hur/
Field of Research: Investigating the potential harmful effects of antidepressants in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
I’m excited to learn more about the use of psychedelics in clinical settings (e.g., psychedelics as a treatment for MDD)
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Psilocybin Mushrooms
Favian Retnavarathan
Program: MSc – Second Year
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/favian-retnavarathan/
Field of Research: My research primarily focuses on tumour hypoxia and how cancer cells are able to carry out cellular processes, specifically disulfide bond formation in the absence of oxygen.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
I’d say I’m interested to learn more about how many different kinds of psychedelics have been identified. It would also be interesting to learn more about their mechanism of function.
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
One that I’ve definitely heard about is psylocibin.
Emil (He/Him)
Program: MSc – First Year
Field of Research: I study surveillance systems to detect and measure the spread of infectious diseases.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
How experts and researchers are safely initiating clinical trials for psychedelic drugs.
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Ayahuasca – which has traditional origins dating back to tribes in South America!
Ysabel Fine (She/Her)
Program: MSc – First Year
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ysabelfine
Field of Research: I am a part of the Latner Thoracic Research Laboratories. My project focuses on identifying a biomarker within donor large airway bronchial wash samples.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
I’m most excited to learn how psychedelics influence brain networks and perception.
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Psilocybin
Jino Lim (He/Him)
Program: MSc – First Year
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jino-lim/
Field of Research: Depression looks different across individuals and has been shown to accelerate brain aging. My research focuses on subtyping major depressive disorder by identifying structural deviations that contribute to brain aging and correlating them with depressive symptoms, with the goal of informing personalized treatments.
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
I’m mostly curious about how psychedelics work mechanistically for circuit-level repair. My lab works on drug trials and mood disorders, and I want to understand more about psychedelics (e.g., psilocybin or ketamine) and their therapeutic potential.
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Ketamine. It’s an NMDA receptor antagonist that has shown rapid and sustained antidepressant effects, even in treatment-resistant depression. I’d like to learn more about the potential mechanisms underlying these effects!
Graphic Design Artists Biomedical Communications Team
Cathy Zhou (She/Her)
Program: Biomedical Communications (MSc), Second Year
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Ella Eberhardt Zhou (She/Her)
Program: Biomedical Communications (MSc), Second Year
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
Laura Wu (She/Her)
Program: Biomedical Communications (MSc), First Year
What is something you are most excited to learn about psychedelics?
Name one psychedelic you already know about!
UofT Talks 