Our Researchers

Dr. Alan Davis

Dr. Alan Davis is a faculty member and Director of the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education in the College of Social Work at the Ohio State University. Their research involves the exploration of psychedelic substance use in community, ceremonial/spiritual, and clinical settings. They conduct clinical trials examining the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy for treating depression, fibromyalgia, co-occurring depression and alcohol misuse, and PTSD. They also facilitate educational programming about psychedelic science for students, communities, and clinicians. They have published more than 85 scientific articles on topics from substance use/misuse, harm reduction and benefit enhancement, as well as several studies of the clinical use of ibogaine for mental health and substance use disorder treatment.

Dr. Stacey Armstrong

Dr. Armstrong joined the Center for Psychedelic Research and Education in December of 2021 as a Post Doctoral Scholar, and is now a Senior Researcher, in the College of Social Work at The Ohio State University. She completed her MA and PhD in psychology at Bowling Green State University, which included an internship at the University of Michigan’s Mary A. Rackham Institute. In 2018, she completed a clinical post-doctoral fellowship at Summa Health’s Traumatic Stress Center in Akron, OH, and is a licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in treating trauma and traumatic stress across the lifespan. At OSU, Dr. Armstrong is pursuing the integration of practice and research by investigating medication-assisted treatments, such as psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), among individuals with treatment-resistant mental health concerns, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and conducting rigorous scholarship to explore the unique benefits that PAT may offer various populations.

Dr. Victor Pablo Acero

Victor Pablo Acero, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Scholar and Manager of Operations and Strategy at the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education (CPDRE) at Ohio State University, where his research focuses on psychedelic therapies for recovery from traumatic brain injury and psychedelic-assisted therapy interventions in veteran populations. He co-founded and serves as Associate Director of the Penn Psychedelics Collaborative (PPC), a transdisciplinary consortium of faculty, researchers, and clinicians at UPenn. He also co-founded and serves as an Organizer for the PhilaDelic Conference, the PPC's flagship initiative. He also co-founded the Intercollegiate Psychedelics Network, a non-profit empowering, developing, and connecting the next generation of students & rising professionals in the psychedelic ecosystem, and sits on the Board of Directors for the Source Research Foundation. Additionally, Victor is pioneering the Our Psychedelics initiative, which explores the intersection of organized labor and equitable access to psychedelic medicine. 

Dr. Deborah Mash

Dr. Deborah Carmen Mash is an American professor of neurology and of molecular and cellular pharmacology at the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, and director of the Brain Endowment Bank at the University of Miami. She is also the Chief Executive Officer and founder of DemeRx.

Anita Davis

Anita is studying Neuroscience and Pharmaceutical Sciences at The Ohio State University. She joined the team as a research assistant for the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education. While on the journey in becoming a Neuroscientist for drug development, she also has a passion for music. In her free time, she writes, records, and releases music. She also enjoys being at church with friends and admiring the beauty in nature.

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