Meet the Team

Judy Ashworth draws on nearly two decades of experience in pharmaceutical drug development to provide clients with strategic input on target product profile development, clinical development plans, regulatory pathways (US and EU) and unmet medical need analyses with attention to potential market access challenges. Trained in internal medicine, Judy began her pharmaceutical career in 2001 as a clinical pharmacologist at Gruenenthal GmbH, a German pharmaceutical company primarily focused on the development of innovative pain medications. In 2003, Judy took on the project leadership of Gruenenthal’s development of abuse-deterrent formulations (ADFs) and an internal working group tasked with developing Gruenenthal’s expertise in abuse liability assessment as well as monitoring the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape surrounding the development of these new products. Judy established the Center of Excellence for Abuse Liability at Gruenenthal USA, Inc, a unit which supported the company’s commitment to helping develop safer alternatives for the management of pain. In addition, Judy was the clinical lead for tapentadol during its registration process in the US and EU, set up a partnering intelligence department to support business development, helped establish the Innovative Medicines Unit at Gruenenthal’s headquarters and opened its first hub, and performed the search for and evaluation of novel analgesics to help enrich the company’s internal pipeline with external innovation from academia and biotech. Judy graduated as a Dean’s Scholar from UCLA School of Medicine in 1993 and then completed the Internal Medicine residency program at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in 1996, serving as chief resident in her final year of training.

Patent attorney for early stage biopharma companies with over 20 years’ of healthcare industry and IP experience. Formerly VP IP at Sienna Biopharmaceuticals, Chief IP Counsel at Allergan and Edwards Lifesciences and Senior Counsel at Baxter Healthcare Corporation.

Ryan has 20 years’ experience conducting preclinical and clinical research supporting the development of a variety of CNS-active drugs, including over a decade working in the pharmaceutical, cannabinoid, and dietary supplement industries. He earned a doctorate in biological psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit.

Kelly J. Clark, MD, MBA, DFAPA, DFASAM, is an addictionist and psychiatrist with a unique breadth and depth in the behavioral health sectors. She is the Founder and President of Addiction Crisis Solutions,  assisting a wide range of stakeholder groups in transforming addiction care into evidence-based, cost-effective systems of addiction care.   Beyond her clinical work, her broad understanding of the business and economic forces shaping our health system were utilized working for a health plan (CDPHP), pharmacy benefit manager (CVS Caremark), pharmaceutical company (Orexo), two privately backed national treatment companies (Behavioral Health Group, CleanSlate), and a medication disposal company (DisposeRx) where she currently serves as a director. An American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Past President,  Kelly’s other volunteer work has included providing her expertise to the US Presidential Opioid Commission, FDA, SAMHSA, the Office of Comptroller General; the Pew Trusts, National Safety Council, and National Business Group on Health; as well as numerous community, provider and payer organizations. She is a member of the Steering Committee of the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative to Counter the US Opioid Epidemic where she Co-Leads the Research, Data, and Metrics Workgroup as well as the Telemedicine  and Virtual Health Care Series group.  An active member of the Milken Institute’s Public Health Advisory Board and the Association of Managed Care Pharmacy’s Addiction Care Group, Dr. Clark maintains an active addiction forensics practice and assists individuals and organizations in identifying and pulling the levers needed to make constructive changes in our health system.

Dr. Joseph Peter Barsuglia is a psychologist and researcher who served as Clinical Research Director for a psychedelic clinic which utilized ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT, and as a psychotherapist in the MAPS-sponsored MDMA-Assisted psychotherapy trials. He is an initiate of the African tradition called ‘Bwiti’ which uses iboga as its sacrament, and a former pastor with a degree in spiritual theology.

Dr. Bogenschutz is a Professor of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and Director of the newly established NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine. He has been conducting clinical research with psychedelics since 2011, including trials of psilocybin-assisted treatment of alcohol use disorder and MDMA-assisted treatment of PTSD. He is also conducting NIH-funded studies on alcohol use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris founded the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College, London. Robin has designed and completed leading studies and trials with LSD, psilocybin, MDMA and DMT.

Peter Hendricks PhD is Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Health Behavior of the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). His research centers on the development of novel and potentially more effective treatments for substance dependence, with specific areas of focus on cigarette, cocaine, cannabis, opiate, and polysubstance dependence in vulnerable populations (e.g., individuals in the criminal justice system).

Dr. Lofwall is a Professor in the Departments of Behavioral Science and Psychiatry and Medical Director of two outpatient addition treatment clinics at the University of Kentucky Center on Drug and Alcohol Research.  Her clinical research has been funded by industry and NIH and is aimed at improving the treatment of patients with substance use disorders. She worked on pivotal Phase 2 and 3 randomized trials of long-acting buprenorphine formulations for opioid use disorder (e.g., buprenorphine implants and depot injections) and is currently working on several research and clinical initiatives focused on expanding access and reducing barriers to comprehensive substance use disorder care.

Ankit Mahadevia is the CEO of Spero Therapeutics and a member of the Board of Directors. He was formerly a Venture Partner in the life sciences group at Atlas Venture, located in Cambridge, MA. In that capacity he supported the formation of eight companies focused on novel drug discovery platforms and therapeutic products including Nimbus Therapeutics, Arteaus Therapeutics (acquired by Lilly), and Translate Bio (Nasdaq: TBIO). He led three of these as Acting CEO, including Synlogic (Nasdaq: SYBX). Prior to joining Atlas in 2008, Ankit worked on product and business development with the founding team at Arcion Therapeutics. He has also held positions in business development both at Genentech and at Vanda Pharmaceuticals. Previously, he worked in the health care groups of McKinsey & Company and Monitor Group. Ankit began his career in health care policy, with roles in the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committees, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS). He has spoken widely on entrepreneurship, including at Harvard University, Columbia University, Northwestern University, and the Berkeley Forum. Ankit has also been active in the policy of life science innovation, including service on the Advisory Council at the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Studies.

Sylver Quevedo, MD, has been in continuous practice of medicine for 40 years and practices nephrology, family, internal, and integrative medicine. He serves as Assistant Professor  at Stanford and UCSF.  He has played pivotal roles in several global health projects, including planning and development of medical and nursing school in Africa.

Gregory Wells, PhD is a licensed psychologist based in San Francisco. He is a clinician and researcher in the field of psychedelic medicine and a supporter of cognitive liberty and decriminalization. He obtained his doctorate degree from UT-Austin and also holds a post-doctoral degree in clinical psychopharmacology. He currently works as a principal investigator and therapist on the MAPS-sponsored Phase 3 clinical trial of MDMA-assisted therapy to treat PTSD. He was a founding member of Polaris Insight Center, a cutting-edge ketamine-assisted psychotherapy clinic in San Francisco where he served as CEO and CFO. He also serves as an advisor to investors and pharmaceutical research companies in the psychedelic medicine space. Gregory has a long-standing interest in and deep respect for plant medicines, entheogens, and indigenous wisdom and healing practices. He is eternally grateful for the lineage of elders, ancestors, healers, and teachers who came before him, who taught him, and who make this work possible.