- Course: Critical Perspectives on Knowledge Production in Psychedelic Science 2025 - November 20, 2024
- Indigenous Shamanic Knowledge Systems, Art and Creative Processes - November 14, 2024
- Course: Diversity, Culture and Social Justice in Psychedelics 2025 - November 7, 2024
Thursday, May 4th, 2023 from 6:30pm-8:00pm PST
The Center SF
548 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA 94117
Register here.
Tickets: $25
This in person community dialogue is a partnership between Chacruna and University of Ottawa, School of Psychology.
Sponsor
In 2018, Chacruna started its pioneering Racial Equity and Access committee, and in 2020 we launched our special journal edition on Diversity, Equity, and Access in Psychedelic Medicine. This pivotal event will encompass reflection on much that has been happening in the last five years within the psychedelic space. In terms of our social justice goals, are we witnessing progress or a roll-back? In the psychedelic landscape we can observe progress on multiple fronts, including: an increase in ethnoracial diversity among participants of MAPS Phase 3 clinical studies of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD; major institutions adding training for working with BIPOC; increase in Black-led for-profit organizations; and Black-led projects getting more visibility within the space. While these are all incredible advancements, we still face many challenges and even backlashes, such as: the growth of industry influence focused on profits and not people; many diversity committees being set up to fail or acting as window-dressing; public corporations refocusing on investment; a tug-of-war over who gets to define standards of care; and expanded access protocols are lacking DEI considerations. We hope you can join us at this in-person dialogue with Dr. Monnica Williams, who is a clinical psychologist and Professor at the University of Ottawa, and Dr. Bia Labate, who is the Executive Director of Chacruna Institute, to discuss all of these changes we have been seeing in the field in regards to racial issues in the psychedelic movement.
Dr. Beatriz Caiuby Labate (Bia Labate) is a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco. She has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. Her main areas of interest are the study of plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, religion, and social justice. She is Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and serves as Public Education and Culture Specialist at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). She is also Visiting Scholar at Naropa University’s Center for Psychedelic Studies and Advisor at the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition. Dr. Labate is a co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil and editor of its site. She is author, co-author, and co-editor of twenty-six books, two special-edition journals, and several peer-reviewed articles (https://bialabate.net).
Monnica T. Williams is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa, in the School of Psychology, where she is the Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Disparities. She is also Clinical Director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic. Her research focuses on African American mental health, culture, and psychopathology, and she has published over 100 scientific articles on these topics. Current projects include the assessment of race-based trauma, unacceptable thoughts in OCD, improving cultural competence in the delivery of mental health care services, and interventions to reduce racism. She gives diversity trainings nationally for clinical psychology programs, scientific conferences, and community organizations. She currently is Chair of their Academic Training & Education Standards (ATES). She is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation, and co-founded their Diversity Council. Dr. Williams is a member of Chacruna’s Racial Equity and Access Committee.
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