Speakers

Dr. Pavel Bém is a Czech politician and psychiatrist, who has played a formative role in shaping Czech drug policy, particularly medical cannabis legislation. He has influenced public-health-oriented addiction approaches across Central and Eastern Europe, and collaborated extensively with the EU, UN, WHO, and other international bodies. Dr. Bém has additionally held several political positions prior to his tenure as National Drug Coordinator, notably as the Mayor of Prague, a Member of Parliament, a member of the National Drug Commission, an advisor to the Prime Minister on drug issues, and Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union.

Gen. Martin Steele is a decorated combat veteran, who first enlisted as a private in the Marine Corps before serving three tours of duty. He is a nationally recognized voice advocating veteran affairs and mental health reform and has served on the VA Commission on Care and multiple national boards dedicated to supporting veterans and their families. Reason for Hope advocates shifting from merely managing symptoms of serious mental health disorders to addressing the root causes of trauma or addiction. The organization has convinced multiple state governments to allocate funds towards psychedelic therapies for disorders affecting veterans.

Rick Perry is the former Governor of Texas and former U.S. Secretary of Energy. Since leaving office, he has dedicated his career to advocating for the clinical research and use of the ibogaine to treat addiction, PTSD, and traumatic brain injuries. Governor Perry has raised awareness of the mental health applications of ibogaine and advocated for favourable policies at both the state and federal levels. In Texas, he helped champion a series of FDA-supervised clinical trials using ibogaine, supported by $50 million in funding from the state, the largest ever investment into ibogaine research by any U.S. state.

Prof. Dr. Jiří Horáček is an expert of psychiatry and psychotherapy, with decades of academic experience researching functional brain imaging, the neurobiology of schizophrenia and depression, antipsychotics and psychedelics, and the modeling of neural activity. In addition to his role as Director of the Czech National Institute of Mental Health, he leads its Centre for Advanced Studies of Brain and Consciousness. Furthermore, Prof. Horáček has authored over two hundred scientific publications, with key contributions on auditory hallucinations, insulin sensitivity and serotonin interactions, and the neurobiology of schizophrenia and psychedelic mechanisms.

Adam Marr is a U.S. Army Veteran and Apache helicopter pilot who now serves as Director of Operations for the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition, where he works across policy, clinical, and research domains to help advance a new, evidence-based standard of mental health care and psychedelic-assisted therapies for veterans. In 2015 he co-founded the Warrior Angels Foundation, dedicated to precision-based treatment for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress in veterans, advocating for alternative therapies and holistic healing. He also worked in Cancún as a strategic advisor on a 9-week ibogaine trial program launched by Beond Service.

Jesse Gould is a veteran of three deployments in Afghanistan who founded the Heroic Hearts Project, a nonprofit which pioneers the acceptance and use of psychedelic-assisted therapies for addressing the mental health crisis among military veterans. They have raised over $20 million, helped hundreds of veterans and their families access psychedelic programs in cooperation with leading treatment centres, and sponsored clinical research with academic institutions to advance the scientific legitimacy of psychedelic medicine and encourage wider clinical acceptance. Jesse Gould has testified before lawmakers on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics and is a contributing author of various educational materials for veterans.

Dr. Martin Polanco is the founder of The Mission Within, a clinical program that serves Special Operations Veterans and specialises in treatment-resistant and complex conditions such as mild traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress, depression, and addiction arising from experiences during military service. Dr. Polanco has extensive experience in treating addiction and was the founder and medical director at Crossroads Treatment Center which demonstrated an effective mental health treatment model using psychedelics. He built on this work by contributing to the body of psychedelic research, specifically focused on the outcome and phenomenological studies of Ibogaine and 5 MeO-DMT.

Marcus Luttrell is a former U.S. Navy SEAL, bestselling author, and advocate for veteran resilience whose experiences in combat shaped his commitment to healing and recovery. After surviving Operation Red Wings, Luttrell dedicated his career to supporting service members facing trauma, depression, and post-traumatic stress. Drawing from personal experience with ibogaine therapy, Luttrell has become one of the most prominent advocates for ibogaine research in the U.S., bringing both personal testimony and national visibility to the mission of expanding access to ibogaine therapy for veterans and those struggling with addiction and trauma.

Trevor Millar is the COO and Co-Founder of Ambio Life Sciences. A social entrepreneur and pioneer in ibogaine advocacy and treatment, Millar has over a decade of experience supporting individuals through addiction recovery, trauma healing, and post-treatment integration. His background includes co-founding the Canadian Psychedelic Association and serving as Chair of the Board for MAPS Canada. He has co-authored peer-reviewed research on ibogaine’s applications for trauma, TBI, and opioid use disorder, and has featured in documentaries including DOSED and In Waves and War. He is an advocate for the creation of a new model of ethical, integrative psychedelic care on a global scale.

Prof. Eric Vermetten is a professor of psychiatry at Leiden University Medical Centre, prior to which he served 15 years as a clinical researcher and strategic advisor on military mental health at the Dutch Ministry of Defence. His research focuses on the medical-biological and psychiatric aspects of trauma, as well as the biological validation of novel interventions in PTSD, including medications such as MDMA and psilocybin. As a leading expert on psychotherapy and posttraumatic stress, he also worked for the United Nations from 2022 to 2025, tasked with designing and implementing a Mental Health Strategy for uniformed professionals.

Professor Svitlana Mykhailivna Moroz is a Ukrainian psychiatrist, psychotherapist, psychologist and general director of the largest specialized psychiatric clinic in Ukraine, the Dnipropetrovsk Multidisciplinary Clinical Hospital for Psychiatric Care, who has been awarded the distinction of an Honoured Doctor of Ukraine by her government. Prof. Moroz, a well-known specialist with more than forty-five years of professional experience with both adults and children, specializing in trauma and clinical stress, working closely with the veterans and survivors of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Dr. Mariana Štefková is a Czech physician specializing in clinical research and medical strategy. She combines a strong background in pharma and clinical research with training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, which she undertook at the Institute of Applied Psychoanalysis under the guidance of the well-known clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst Dr. Jiří Kocourek. She studied at the Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in Prague and subsequently held regional and global medical roles in innovative pharmaceutical companies. She later left the corporate world and opened her own private practice, where she focuses on the connection of medicine and psychotherapy.

Stanislav Milotinský is a Czech psychologist, psychotherapist, co-founder of the Czech Psychedelic Society (CZEPS), Psycare, and the psychedelic clinic Psyon. Psyon offers high-quality standard as well as progressive approaches to mental health care based on psychedelic-assisted therapy, standard psychiatric and psychotherapeutic care, education and research. He graduated from the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University and completed training in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in the U.S. Among other activities, he works in a private therapeutic practice, in the crisis intervention centre, and at the day care centre for people with diagnosed personality disorders at the psychiatric hospital in Bohnice, Prague.

Kristina Pomothy is the founder of Curacura, an organization focused on education and integration of somatic and psychedelic therapies into healthcare and self-development. Kristina’s background is in psychology, body-centered therapy and trauma informed somatic practices, and she has travelled the world to learn about psychedelic therapies from both western scientific clinicians, traditional indigenous healers, and those who blend the two approaches. For over a decade she worked in counselling, executive coaching and organisational psychology before personally facing the consequences of traumatic brain injury, which led to her founding Curacura. She is currently enrolled at the Czech Institute of Biosynthetic Psychotherapy and at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Dr. Henrik Jungaberle is the Director of the MIND Foundation and CEO of OVID, a private psychiatric-psychotherapeutic practice and day clinic in Berlin. He is a researcher, science entrepreneur, and author in public health, psychedelics, and psychotherapy, with a focus on human development from a lifespan and ecology perspective. Dr. Jungaberle investigates integration and integrity in the use of psychoactive substances, and he has worked on research projects with the backing of both the EU and German government on salutogenesis and psychoactive substances, such as EPIsoDE study at the Universitätsmedizin Berlin, which investigated the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in the treatment of depression.

Dr. Barbara Rothbaum je ředitelkou programu Emory Healthcare Veterans Program, zástupkyní vedoucího klinického výzkumu na katedře psychiatrie a behaviorálních věd a ředitelkou programu pro zotavení z traumatu a úzkosti. Specializuje se na výzkum léčby úzkostných poruch, zejména posttraumatické stresové poruchy, a byla součástí studie Institutu medicíny, která hodnotila probíhající úsilí v léčbě této poruchy. Dr. Rothbaum se věnuje léčbě PTSD od roku 1986 a vyvinula, testovala a šířila některé z nejinovativnějších a nejúčinnějších dostupných léčebných postupů pro PTSD, včetně expozišní terapie ve virtuální realitě.

Dr. Filip Tylš is a Czech psychiatrist, psychotherapist and neuroscientist with a focus on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. He completed his doctoral studies in neuroscience, with a dissertation on the neurobiology of psychedelic experience, at Charles University, where he now works as an assistant professor of psychiatry, teaching experimental psychopharmacology. Since 2012, he has worked at the National Institute of Mental Health and is part of the psychedelic research team in clinical trials with psilocybin, ketamine and MDMA. He co-founded the Czech Psychedelic Society in 2015 and has been helping people cope with difficult psychedelic experiences as part of the PsyCare team since 2017.

Melissa Lavasani is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Psychedelic Medicine Coalition, a national association committed to creating and protecting access to psychedelic medicines through advocacy and education on a federal level. Inspired by her own experience of a working mother using psychedelics to heal her severe postpartum depression, Melissa championed the Entheogenic Plant and Fungus Policy Act of 2020, which broke records as the largest ballot initiative win in Washington DC's history with 76% approval. Melissa is also president of the Psychedelic Medicine PAC, and a founding member of the Psychedelics and Healing Initiative at the Global Wellness Institute.

Lilia Khousnoutdinova is a social scientist, publicist, lecturer, and philanthropist with a long-term focus on women’s issues, gender studies, and reproductive rights. She has initiated numerous educational and awareness campaigns for the public and healthcare professionals with a focus on maternity care and midwifery. She is the founder of several successful startups and the endowment fund Propolis33, which was created primarily to support women's charitable and educational initiatives. The fund provides support and patronage to artistic and educational initiatives, focusing on the topics of women and femininity, parenthood, sexuality, reproduction and childbirth, gender equality and the de-tabooization of various gender and feminist issues.

Viktor Chvátal is the General Secretary and founder of PsychedelicsEUROPE. With extensive experience in building coalitions between business and academia in EU decision-making, particularly within the European Parliament, Viktor specialises in leveraging research-driven advocacy to create policy frameworks that support innovation in healthcare. His expertise lies in translating scientific evidence into effective public affairs strategies, fostering long-term partnerships, and shaping regulatory environments that balance innovation with sustainability.

Jana Bednářová is the CEO of PSYRES, the Czech Psychedelic Research Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to provide financial support to Czech scientific projects and workplaces that deal with innovative treatment procedures in the field of mental illnesses, including psychotherapy assisted by psychedelics. PSYRES works to support research and study of psychedelic substances and their use in pharmacology, psychology, addictology and psychiatry and helps with the preparation and implementation of clinical studies and analyses. It also organises educational events and collaborates with doctors, therapists and researchers who deal in depth with altered states of human consciousness in partnership with high level Czech and international institutions.

Misha Lebeda is a Czech strategic business consultant, activist, and writer. She has worked as a spokesperson and community coordinator on several campaigns and initiatives. She is also the founder of Endo Talks, a patient organization that advocates for comprehensive and accessible care for women with endometriosis, which she established from her hospital bed in 2021, right after undergoing surgery. The official recognition of highly specialized endometriosis treatment centers across Czechia is one achievement of Endo Talks’ relentless advocacy, and the organization’s inclusion in the Patient Council of the Ministry of Health ensures the voices of those affected are heard at the highest governmental levels.

Simeon Schnapper is the founding partner of JLS, a pioneering plant medicine fund. With over 30 years of experience in the field, he bridges the gap between ancient indigenous wisdom and the modern pharmaceutical industry. His journey began under the tutelage of Dr. Robert E.L. Masters and Jean Houston, and led him deep into the Amazon and Gabon. As President of the Hinman Foundation, he oversaw critical grants exploring the cognitive effects of peyote and the use of hallucinogens in treating substance addiction. His leadership continues at the intersection of investment, advocacy and diplomacy.

Dr. Ingmar Gorman is a licensed psychologist specialising in anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, and psychedelic experiences. In addition to traditional psychotherapy, he is a recognised leader in the field of psychedelic therapy. He has firsthand experience as an investigator and study therapist on an FDA-approved clinical trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, and in a clinical study of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. His clinical work is informed by extensive research and publications on topics including classic psychedelics, ketamine, and MDMA. As a cofounder of Fluence, a leading psychedelic education company, he has dedicated his career to training mental health providers and sharing his knowledge.