Incannex Healthcare has announced that three of the world’s top psychedelic therapy and science experts with significant media profiles have joined the advisory board of its subsidiary Clarion Clinics Group.

Medicinal cannabis and psychedelic therapies company Incannex Healthcare (ASX:IHL) has announced three global leaders will join the advisory board of Clarion Clinics Group.

Clarion Clinics is a collaborative venture between IHL and three leading Australian psychedelics experts, Dr Paul Liknaitzky, psychiatrist Professor Suresh Sundram and Sean O’Carroll, who are co-founders, key executives, and directors of the company.

Clarion’s first clinic will open its doors to patients in Q3 CY23 and the company intends to expand rapidly following the successful operation of the first clinic.

Leading researcher and clinician to join board

Joining the board is Dr Bill Richards, who is the Director of Therapy at Sunstone Therapies and a psychologist in the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Richards is also a consultant/trainer within numerous psychedelic research sites internationally, a teacher in the Program of Psychedelic Therapy and Research at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and a clinician in private practice in Baltimore.

His involvement with psilocybin research started in 1963, and from 1967 to 1977 he pursued psychotherapy research with LSD, DPT, MDA and psilocybin at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center.

Richards’ research included protocols designed to investigate the promise of psychedelic substances in the treatment of alcoholism, depression, addictions, and the psychological distress associated with terminal cancer, alongside their use in the training of religious and mental-health professionals.

In 1999 at Johns Hopkins, Richards and Roland Griffiths launched the rebirth of psilocybin research after a 22-year period of dormancy in the US.

Media savvy John Hopkins psychiatry professor on board

Professor Matthew Johnson is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at Johns Hopkins.

He is one of the world’s most published scientists on the human effects of psychedelics and has conducted seminal research in the behavioural economics of drug use, addiction, and risk behaviour.

Working with psychedelics since 2004, he published psychedelic safety guidelines in 2008, helping to resurrect psychedelic research.

As principal investigator, he developed and published the first research on psychedelic treatment of tobacco addiction in 2014.

He is Principal Investigator on funded studies investigating psilocybin in the treatment of opioid dependence and PTSD.

Beyond psilocybin, in 2011 Dr. Johnson published the first-ever blinded human research showing psychoactive effects of salvinorin A, and in 2017 published the first data indicating that MDMA pill testing services may reduce harm.

He has published studies on drugs across nearly all psychoactive classes, including studies    of cocaine, methamphetamine, tobacco/nicotine, alcohol, opioids, cannabis,  benzodiazepines,  psilocybin, dextromethorphan, salvinorin A, GHB, caffeine, and cathinone analogs compounds.

He has received continuous NIH funding as Principal Investigator since 2009, has provided invited presentations in 13 nations, and has been interviewed widely by media about psychedelics and other drugs.

OVID Clinics medical director to join board as well

Medical director of the OVID Clinics in Berlin, along with a co-founder and advisory board member of the MIND Foundation Dr Andrea Jungaberle will also join the Clarion board.

Jungaberle is a clinical specialist in anaesthesia and emergency medicine, a psychedelic therapist, and currently completing a certification in cognitive behavioural psychotherapy.

She is a published author, workshop leader, yoga teacher, and has participated in several   accredited training sessions in psychedelic therapy.

She is part of the EPIsoDE study team, using psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to treat 144 depressive patients, and is a site principal investigator in Beckley Psytech’s Phase IIa study on 5MeO-DMT in treatment resistant depression.

At OVID Clinics,  Jungaberle has conducted and/or supervised more than 1400 Ketamine applications within a psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy paradigm in over 270 patients.

World watching Clarion Clinics

IHL Director Peter Widdows said he’s delighted and honoured that such esteemed professionals have decided to join the Clarion team.

“It’s a testament to the vision that Paul, Sureshand Sean are bringing together to provide this vital service to many people in great need,” he said.

“As Australia is the first country to legalise the use of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of mental illness, the eyes of the world are upon us, and having people of this calibre and experience onboard will help us ensure we provide world-leading effective treatments in an ethical and safe way.”

Clarion Clinics Group co-founder, director, chief strategy officer, and chief scientific officer Dr Paul Liknaitzky said the new board members are wonderful colleagues and inspiring people.

“Each brings deep experience and hard-won wisdom that will help guide our efforts within the Clarion venture towards supporting our clients to live their best lives,” he said.

“I’m grateful for their trust and support.”

IHL managing director and CEO Joel Latham said the calibre of the new board members shows the importance of the Clarion venture.

“When people with the global reputations of Bill, Matthew and Andrea wish to help shape your venture, you know you’ve hit on something special, something which could help improve the lives of millions of people around the world,” he said.

Clarion Clinics Group recently entered a lease for riverfront premises in Melbourne’s inner north suburb of Abbottsford.

The premises will be used to provide psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and is expected to be ready before September 2023 to facilitate first patient treatments shortly after this time.

This article was developed in collaboration with Incannex Healthcare, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.

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