Speakers

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.

Dr. Barbara Rothbaum is Director of the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program, Deputy Director of Clinical Research in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Director of the Trauma and Anxiety Recovery Program at Emory University School of Medicine. She specializes in the treatment and research of anxiety disorders, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and served on the Institute of Medicine committee that evaluated the evidence base for PTSD treatment. Dr. Rothbaum has been treating PTSD since 1986 and has developed, tested, and disseminated some of the most innovative and effective treatments available for PTSD, including virtual reality exposure therapy.

Prof. Eric Vermetten is Professor of Psychiatry at Leiden University Medical Centre. Prior to this role, he spent 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 for PTSD, including medications such as MDMA and psilocybin. As a leading expert on psychotherapy and post-traumatic stress disorder, he also worked for the United Nations from 2022 to 2025, where he was responsible for designing and implementing a Mental Health Strategy for uniformed personnel.

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.

LT GEN Martin R. Steele USMC (Ret.) is a decorated combat veteran who first enlisted as a private in the United States Marine Corps and completed three tours of duty. He is a nationally recognised advocate for veterans’ affairs and mental health reform and has served on the Department of Veterans Affairs Commission on Care as well as on several national boards dedicated to supporting veterans and their families. Reason for Hope advocates shifting the focus from managing symptoms of severe mental health disorders to addressing the root causes of trauma and addiction. The organisation has successfully persuaded several U.S. state governments to allocate funding for psychedelic therapies for disorders affecting veterans.

Prof. Dr. Jiří Horáček is an expert in psychiatry and psychotherapy with decades of academic experience researching functional brain imaging, the neurobiology of schizophrenia and depression, antipsychotics and psychedelics, and the modelling 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. Prof. Horáček has authored more than 200 scientific publications and has made significant contributions to research on auditory hallucinations, insulin sensitivity and serotonin interactions, as well as the neurobiology of schizophrenia and the mechanisms of psychedelic substances.

Dr. Pavel Bém is a Czech politician and psychiatrist who has played a formative role in shaping Czech drug policy, particularly legislation concerning medical cannabis. He has promoted public-health-oriented approaches to addiction treatment across Central and Eastern Europe and has collaborated extensively with the European Union, the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and other international organisations. Prior to serving as the National Drug Coordinator, Dr. Bém held several political positions, including Mayor of Prague, Member of Parliament, member of the National Drug Commission, advisor to the Prime Minister on drug policy, and Vice-President of the European Committee of the Regions.

Adam Marr is a U.S. Army veteran and former Apache helicopter pilot who serves as Director of Operations for the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition. In this role, 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, an organization dedicated to precision-based treatment for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress among veterans, while advocating for alternative therapies and holistic healing. He also worked in Cancún as a strategic advisor on a nine-week ibogaine trial program launched by Beond Service.

Jesse Gould is a U.S. Army Ranger veteran and founder of Heroic Hearts Project, a nonprofit organization pioneering access to psychedelic-assisted therapies for 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 Founder and Medical Director of The Mission Within, a clinical program serving Special Operations veterans and specializing in treatment-resistant and complex conditions, including mild traumatic brain injury, PTSD, depression, and addiction. Dr. Polanco has extensive experience in addiction treatment and previously served as Founder and Medical Director of Crossroads Treatment Center, where he helped develop and demonstrate an effective psychedelic-assisted model of mental health care. Building on this work, he has contributed to the field of psychedelic research, with a particular focus on outcome and phenomenological studies involving ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT.

Dr. Henrik Jungaberle is the Director of the MIND Foundation and CEO of OVID, a private psychiatric and psychotherapeutic practice and day clinic in Berlin. He is a researcher, science entrepreneur, and author working in the fields of public health, psychedelics, and psychotherapy, with a focus on human development from a lifespan and ecology perspective. Dr. Jungaberle studies integration and integrity in the use of psychoactive substances and has participated in research projects supported by both the European Union and the German government on salutogenesis and psychoactive substances, including the EPIsoDE study at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, which investigated the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in the treatment of depression.

Eduardo Schenberg is a neuroscientist studying psychedelics from an interdisciplinary perspective. He has published on neuroimaging, clinical, epistemological, and ethical issues in psychedelic research, particularly in relation to Indigenous rights. He has lectured at various events and institutions across North and South America as well as in Europe, where he currently resides. His current work focuses on the significant limitations of evidence-based medicine as the guiding epistemological framework for psychedelic research, and on how advances in the philosophy of medical evidence—such as EBM+ and evidential pluralism—can be leveraged to support the development of safe, effective, equitable, and ethical evidence-based psychedelic therapies.

Trevor Millar is 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.

Melissa Lavasani is the 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 at the federal level. Inspired by her own experience as a working mother using psychedelics to heal severe postpartum depression, Melissa championed the Entheogenic Plant and Fungus Policy Act of 2020, which became the largest successful ballot initiative in Washington, D.C.’s history, receiving 76% voter approval. Melissa also serves as President of the Psychedelic Medicine PAC and is a founding member of the Psychedelics and Healing Initiative at the Global Wellness Institute.

Dr. Filip Tylš is a Czech psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and neuroscientist specialising in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. He completed his doctoral studies in neuroscience with a dissertation focused on the neurobiology of psychedelic experiences at Charles University, where he currently works as an assistant professor of psychiatry, teaching experimental pharmacology. Since 2012, he has worked at the National Institute of Mental Health and is part of the psychedelic research team conducting 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.

Dr. Protopopová, Ph.D. serves as the National Coordinator for Mental Health, Vice‑Chair of the Government Council for Mental Health, and Head of the Mental Health Policy Department at the Office of the Government. In these roles, she focuses on the strategic development of public policies, the implementation of modern community‑based care models, and the strengthening of prevention efforts across age groups. Her mandate emphasizes building mental resilience among children and young people, integrating mental health support within the education system, and modernizing the entire mental health care framework. Since 2016, she has been actively involved in the Mental Health Care Reform in the Czech Republic, contributing to the development of conceptual materials, analyses, and proposals for systemic changes. She has served as a project administrator for mental health reform projects at the Ministry of Health and previously worked as a specialist consultant for the Minister of Finance on reform matters. She is a psychiatrist, and before joining the Office of the Government, she was deeply engaged in clinical and research work. Beginning in 2015, she worked at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Her research focused on physical health in patients with schizophrenia, and she completed research fellowships and had work experience in Belgium, Austria, the United Kingdom and the United States, experiences that significantly enriched her professional orientation toward integrating modern medicine with psychosocial approaches.

Lia is a psychotherapist trained in Hakomi, focusing, and somatic experiencing, as well as an integration therapist, social worker, and voice and movement teacher. Her work combines trauma-informed somatic and attachment-based approaches to support healing and help individuals reconnect with the deeper memory systems that shape identity and relationships. Lia brings years of experience supporting individuals of all ages through a spectrum of issues, including depression, anxiety, and pathologies originated in childhood trauma. In her work with plant medicine, Lia leads psilocybin-assisted retreats in the Netherlands, conducts individual processes, and supports integration and micro-dosing processes online.

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 institutions engaged in innovative treatment approaches in the field of mental health, including psychotherapy assisted by psychedelics. PSYRES supports research and the study of psychedelic substances and their use in pharmacology, psychology, addictology, and psychiatry, and helps prepare and implement clinical studies and analyses. It also organises educational events and collaborates with doctors, therapists, and researchers who work extensively with altered states of consciousness in partnership with leading Czech and international institutions.

Viktor Chvátal is the Secretary General and founder of PsychedelicsEUROPE. With extensive experience in building coalitions between industry and academia within the EU legislative process, particularly in the European Parliament, he specializes in leveraging evidence-based advocacy to help shape policy frameworks that support innovation in healthcare. His expertise lies in translating scientific evidence into effective public affairs strategies, fostering long-term partnerships, and contributing to regulatory environments that balance innovation with sustainability.

Dr. Ingmar Gorman is a psychologist specializing in anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, and psychedelic experiences. In addition to his work in traditional psychotherapy, he is a recognized leader in the field of psychedelic therapy. He has firsthand experience as both a researcher and study therapist, including participation in clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD and psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant depression. His clinical practice is informed by extensive research and publications on topics such as classic psychedelics, ketamine, and MDMA. As co-founder of Fluence, a leading provider of psychedelic education, he has dedicated his career to training mental health professionals and sharing his expertise.

Mark Hestermann is a molecular biologist with more than a decade of experience in psychedelic research. In 2021, he co-founded Natural MedTech (NMT), a biotechnology company using biosynthesis to manufacture psychedelics and other high-value medicines that conventional chemistry struggles to produce efficiently. Since its founding, NMT has built Australia's first cGMP biosynthetic psilocybin and tryptamine production platform, delivering GMP-grade medication for clinical trials and navigating the complex regulatory and quality frameworks required to bring its medicines to patients. Mark plays a key role across NMT's R&D, scale-up, Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls, analytical development, and GMP manufacturing divisions. He has authored major regulatory submissions to advance innovative mental health therapies and is a named inventor on two PCT patents and one provisional patent.

Lilia Khousnoutdinova is a social scientist, publicist, lecturer, and philanthropist with a long-standing focus on women’s issues, gender studies, and reproductive rights. She has initiated numerous educational and public awareness campaigns for both the general public and healthcare professionals, focusing on maternal care and midwifery. She is the founder of several successful startups and the Propolis33 Foundation, which was established primarily to support charitable and educational initiatives for women. The foundation provides support and patronage to artistic and educational projects focused on womanhood and femininity, parenthood, sexuality, reproduction and childbirth, gender equality, and the destigmatization of gender-related and feminist issues.

Eva Kotorová is a regulatory affairs expert at PsychedelicsEUROPE, where she advocates for evidence-based policies that support the medical use of psychedelics and innovation in mental health. Her experience working with both the European Commission and the European Parliament strengthens her ability to navigate and influence policymaking at the EU level. Beyond her policy expertise, Eva is the co-founder of Corridor Citoyen Suisse, an NGO dedicated to providing humanitarian aid and coordinating the evacuation of people fleeing war zones.

Misha Lebeda is a Czech strategic business consultant, author, activist, and women's health advocate. 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.

Yustyna Miskiv coordinates strategic development and national-level initiatives aimed at creating safe and evidence-based access to psychedelic-assisted therapy in Ukraine. Her work focuses on policy advocacy, therapist education, and developing clinical standards adapted to the needs of veterans and trauma survivors. With a background in organizational development and strategic program leadership, Yustyna has built and managed multi-disciplinary teams and long-term initiatives in both NGO and business sectors. She collaborates with academic, medical, and international expert partners to support the responsible and ethical implementation of psychedelic therapy in Ukraine.

Stanislav Milotínský is a Czech psychologist, psychotherapist, and co-founder of the Czech Psychedelic Society (CZEPS), PsyCare, and the psychedelic clinic PSYON. PSYON provides high-quality, evidence-based mental healthcare alongside progressive approaches based on psychedelic-assisted therapy, education, and research. He graduated from the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University and completed training in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in the United States. In addition to his other activities, he works in private therapeutic practice, at a crisis intervention centre, and at a day-care centre for people diagnosed with personality disorders at the Psychiatric Hospital Bohnice in Prague.

Professor Svitlana Mykhailivna Moroz is a Ukrainian psychiatrist, psychotherapist, psychologist, and Director General of the Dnipropetrovsk Multidisciplinary Clinical Hospital for Psychiatric Care, the largest specialized psychiatric hospital in Ukraine. She has been awarded the honorary title of Honoured Doctor of Ukraine for her outstanding contribution to the field of mental health. With more than forty-five years of clinical and leadership experience, Prof. Moroz is recognized as one of Ukraine’s leading experts in psychiatry and psychotherapy. Her work focuses on trauma, clinical stress, and mental health recovery, particularly among veterans and civilians affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Kristina Pomothy is a psychologist and founder of Curacura, an organisation advancing the integration of somatic and psychedelic therapies into healthcare and personal development. Kristina's background is in facilitation, psychedelic integration and trauma informed somatic practices. Her experience with traumatic brain injury led to founding Curacura with a determination to build an alternative to the systemic pathologizing and medicalizing of trauma. Since 2019 she has travelled extensively to learn directly from both Western clinicians and traditional indigenous healers and in Curacura she blends both approaches. She is enrolled at the Czech institute of Biosynthesis and at the California institute of Integral Studies.

Simeon Schnapper is the founding partner of JLS, a pioneering plant medicine fund. With more than 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 mentorship of Dr. Robert E. L. Masters and Jean Houston and led him deep into the Amazon rainforest and Gabon. As President of the Hinman Foundation, he oversaw grants exploring the cognitive effects of peyote and the use of hallucinogens in the treatment of substance use disorders. His work continues at the intersection of investment, advocacy, and diplomacy.

Lenka Teska Arnoštová is a lawyer and university lecturer. She served as a member of the Prague City Assembly from 2010 to 2014 and as Deputy Minister of Health of the Czech Republic from 2014 to 2017. Since 2009, she has practised as an attorney specialising in health law and healthcare legislation. She also teaches at the Faculty of Law of Charles University, in the Department of Health Law, and sits on the Public Law Commission of the Government Legislative Council. Since 2017, she has chaired the Medical Law Society of the Czech Medical Association of J. E. Purkyně.