Training Faculty
Meet the team of experts and care providers as part of the training program.
Sunil Aggarwal, MD, PhD, FAAPMR
Sunil is a Board-Certified Physician in Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as well as a Medical Geographer; and serves as the Past Chair of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) Integrative Medicine Special Interest Group as well as an inaugural member of AAHPM’s Safe Use in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies Forum. Dr. Aggarwal was named as a Top 20 Emerging Leader by the AAHPM. He is an Affiliate Assistant Clinical Professor in Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, and an Affiliate Clinical Faculty at Bastyr University. Dr. Aggarwal completed his MD and PhD degrees at the University of Washington and completed his Residency and Fellowship at Virginia Mason Medical Center, NYU Langone Health, and the NIH Clinical Center. He is a Co-Founder, Co-Director and Practitioner at the Advanced Integrative Medical Science (AIMS) Institute in Seattle, a multispecialty teaching clinic and research institute offering cutting edge care in oncology, psychiatry, neurology, rehabilitation, pain, and palliative care. Dr. Aggarwal also serves as an Associate Hospice Medicine Director and On-Call Palliative Physician for MultiCare Health System. A former National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, Dr. Aggarwal completed his PhD dissertation on “The Medical Geography of Cannabinoid Botanicals in Washington State: Access, Delivery, and Distress.” He is presently a co-investigator on the AIMS Cancer Outcomes Study, the AIMS Medical Outcomes Study, and the Canadian Psilocybin Safety Initiative Registry. He has published over three dozen peer-reviewed articles and book chapters that have been cited over 800 times and growing per Google Scholar, and he is honored to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of End of Life Washington and the Center for the Study of Cannabis and Social Policy
Peter Addy, PhD
Peter has studied psychedelic substances and states and consciousness for 15 years. He earned a PhD in clinical psychology studying transpersonal psychology. He conducted one of the earliest studies of the atypical psychedelic plant Salvia divinorum in humans. He continued refining his research and clinical skills at Yale University where he studied Salvia and other atypical psychedelics and co-founded the Yale Psychedelic Science Group. He has completed postdoctoral training in substance use disorder treatment, participated in non-directive harm reduction and integration training at Burning Man, and traveled to Mexico to learn about indigenous use of psychedelic plants among the Mazatec people. He is currently a psychotherapist in private practice in Washington and Oregon.
Dr. Addy has presented internationally on a variety of subjects related to spirituality and transpersonal states, psychedelic science, and research methodology. Participants consistently regarded his talks as informative, accessible, and humorous. He has written numerous scientific articles, book chapters, and popular press articles on typical and atypical psychedelics, substance abuse, and spirituality.
FirstMan
Firstman is a co-founder of the Rastafari Indigenous Village in Jamaica where he is a ceremony guide for ganja and mushrooms, an advocate against discrimination of indigenous people and plant medicine, and a chanter and facilitator for spiritual gatherings and movements.
Tahlia Harrison, MS, LMFT
A licensed marriage and family therapist, Tahlia has also completed a Master of Science in Bioethics and Health Policy from Duke University.
Lama Mike Crowley
Mike was ordained as a lay-lama in the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in 1987. He is the author of Secret Drugs of Buddhism and Psychedelic Buddhism.
Jarrod Franklin, ND, MS
Jarrod is a Naturopathic Doctor and also holds a Masters in Ayurvedic medicine.
Erica Zelfand, ND
Dr. Zelfand is a licensed family physician specializing in integrative mental health, a ketamine prescriber, and a facilitator of therapeutic psychedelic experiences. She is also a medical writer, teacher, and international speaker. Her favorite things include snacks, naps, one-way tickets, group hugs, the forest, big sunglasses, and huge dogs.
Leanna Standish, ND, PhD
Co-founder of AIMS Institute, naturopathic doctor, and neuroscientist, Leanna is also conducting a phase 1 trial of ayahuasca.
Alison Draisin, PsyD
Lead psychotherapist at AIMS Institute with a plethora of experience in cannabis and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
Matthew Hicks, ND, MS
Matthew is the founder of Synaptic Integrative Care and Training Institute, a naturopathic physician specializing in integrative mental health, the host the Integrative Psychiatry Review podcast, and facilitator of psychedelic therapy. He also holds a degree in medical research and has authored peer-reviewed papers on empathy, mindfulness, and psychedelic topics.