UW Medicine is a leader in research and clinical care for those struggling with addiction. We bring together experts with decades of experience across multiple disciplines to accelerate novel therapeutics in addiction psychiatry that could have a huge impact on public health.
Center Leadership

Nathan Sackett, MD, MS
Nathan Sackett, MD, MS, is the Director of the Center for Novel Therapeutics in Addiction Psychiatry and Acting Assistant Professor in the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. His focus is on the intersection between substance use and psychiatric disorders and the use of psychedelics to treat substance use disorders with a particular interest in how psychedelics can augment the psychotherapeutic process and facilitate behavioral change.
Community Advisory Board

Galyn Burke, LMFT, LMHC
Galyn Burke, LMFT, LMHC, is a trauma therapist, integrating cognitive, somatic, and energetic modalities with indigenous wisdom (tailored to the needs of western clients, with permission from the lineage holders). Galyn is a graduate of Brown University and holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Palo Alto University, with extensive post-graduate training in emerging trauma therapies, including Brainspotting, MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy (via MAPS ) and Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (via Polaris Insights Center).

Darcy Constans, MD
Darcy Constans, MD, is a family medicine physician practicing in Seattle. She has a specific interest in mindfulness, addiction medicine, mental health and psychedelic medicine.

Karin Gagnon
Karin has conducted educational and transformational programs throughout the U.S., India, and Europe for more than three decades. She is the co-founder of The WISDOM Council (Women in Service Deepening Our Mission), Program Director for Experiential Training/Learning at SNaP lab, (Social Neuroscience and Psychopathology) at the Oregon Health Science University, and contributes as an advisor and mentor to a number of other non-profit organizations in her community.

Pamela Kryskow, MD
Dr. Pamela Kryskow is a Canadian MD, researcher, therapist and academic. She is the medical lead for the Roots To Thrive Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Non Profit, a professor in the Vancouver Island University Psychedelic Assisted Therapy and a founding board member of the Psychedelic Association of Canada.

Will MacHugh
Will MacHugh is a farmer from Albany, Oregon and Eltopia, Washington. His interest in mental health comes from an interest in building better tools for those involved in addiction treatments.

Ian T. Pocock, LICSW
Ian T. Pocock, LICSW, is a third-wave mindfulness therapist in private practice, offering individual psychotherapy and ketamine-assisted therapy. Ian’s background and training is in the treatment and study of chemical dependency, serious mental illness, trauma-informed care, and psychedelics.
John Rapp, JD

Erica Siegal, LCSW
Erica Siegal, LCSW, is a psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist, harm reduction educator, and community organizer based in Southern California. She has spent the past decade providing mental health crisis support and harm reduction outreach to transformational festivals and gatherings throughout the United States and the world, including Costa Rica, Mexico, and Italy. She founded NEST Harm Reduction in 2019 to provide harm reduction-based comprehensive care to individuals, couples and communities.
Paul Stamets

Todd Youngs
Todd has been in long-term recovery from addiction and alcoholism since 2009. He works intensively with others to help them achieve a life of satisfying and meaningful sobriety. His approach is eclectic and holistic. It draws from a diversity of modalities including 12 Steps, CBT, MI, and Mindfulness practice to deeply address the bio/psycho/social/spiritual aspects of addictive disorders. Todd has worked extensively with Ayahuasca for over 13 years within a variety of communal and personalized settings.
Scientific Advisory Board

Andrew Bowdle, MD, PhD, FASE
Andrew Bowdle MD, PhD, FASE, is a cardiac anesthesiologist, patient safety expert and clinical pharmacologist. He is Professor of Anesthesiology and Pharmaceutics (Adjunct) and Laura Cheney Professor in Anesthesia Patient Safety at the University of Washington.

Jonathan Buchholz, MD
Jonathan Buchholz, MD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Program Director of the Addictions Psychiatry Fellowship and Medical Director of Inpatient Psychiatry at the VA Puget Sound.

Beatriz Carlini, PhD, MPH
Beatriz Carlini, PhD, MPH, is an Acting Associate Professor at the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. She is the Director of the Cannabis Research and Education Program at the Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute.

Kevin Hallgren, PhD
Kevin Hallgren, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. His research interests focus on the assessment and treatment of substance use and mental health disorders.

Rebecca Hendrickson, MD, PhD
Rebecca Hendrickson, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Her research group studies the pathophysiology and treatment of PTSD and its complex comorbidities, including addiction and traumatic brain injury.

Sheri Mizumori, PhD
Sheri Mizumori, PhD, is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington. The Mizumori laboratory investigates the neural circuits that mediate cognitive and behavioral flexibility, or the ability to act on perceived changes in a given situation. Of particular interest are the neural mechanisms that underlie the cognitive distortions during opiate withdrawal, and the subsequent restoration of cognitive flexibility following administration of hallucinogens such as psilocybin.

Richard Ries, MD, FAPA, FASM
Richard Ries, MD, FAPA, FASM, is a Professor at the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Clinical Director of Addictions Treatment Services at Harborview Medical Center. He works in psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery services.

Andrew J. Saxon, MD
Andrew Saxon, MD, is a Professor at the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Director of the Center of Excellence in Substance Addiction Treatment and Education (CESATE) at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. His expertise is in addiction psychiatry.

Rick Strassman, MD
The DMT and psilocybin studies by Rick Strassman, MD, at the University of New Mexico in the early 1990s initiated the American renewal of clinical research with psychedelics. He is the author of the best-selling “DMT: The Spirit Molecule,” which chronicles that project.