Nidia A. Olvera Hernández is a historian and anthropologist. She has a Ph.D. in modern and contemporary history at the Mora Institute in Mexico City. Nidia earned a B.A. in ethnohistory from the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH) and a M.A. in social anthropology from the Center for Research and Higher Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS), in Mexico City. Her main areas of interest are the old and modern history of psychoactive substances and drug policy. She is co-editor with Bia Labate of the book Plantas Sagradas en México: tradición, religión y ritualidad [Sacred Plants in Mexico: Tradition, Religion and Ritual, COLSAN/Chacruna Institute 2023], and author of several peer-reviewed articles. She has worked as the Project Coordinator at the United Nations on a drug treatment program, has experience working at social research consultancies and has been a professor at the Autonomous University of Mexico City and ENAH. She collaborated as the Research Associate at Chacruna Latinoamérica in México. Currently, she is a Postdoctoral Researcher for the project, “Poison, Medicine or Magic Potion. Shifting Perspectives on Drugs in Latin America (1820-2020)” at Radboud University, Netherlands.

Bruno Ramos Gomes is a Brazilian psychologist, with Master’s degree in Public Health at the School of Public Health-USP, and a PhD in Public Health at University of Campinas, Brazil. In his masters, he researched the use of ayahuasca in the recovery of homeless people and drug users. In his PhD, he did a 12 month qualitative follow-up of patients treating drug dependence and depression. He has been helping patients integrate ibogaine and ayahuasca in their therapeutic processes for the last 15 years. He is a Research Associate at the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines.

Dr. Stephanie Michael Stewart is a holistic psychiatrist who brings a spiritual, environmental, and social justice perspective to her work. After serving as Chief Resident of Psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Stewart led LA County’s West Central Wellness Center where she developed innovative programs for communities of color that integrated evidence-based psychiatric treatments with complementary therapies. She then founded Worldwide Wellness, where she expanded her approach to incorporate travel, immersion in nature, Indigenous wisdom and, more recently, ketamine-assisted therapy. Dr. Stewart is currently developing a psychedelic-assisted therapy training program for psychiatric residents at historically black colleges and universities. Dr. Stewart holds a BS in Biology from Spelman College and an MD from Morehouse School of Medicine. She is member of Chacruna’s Board of Directors. She is of Black, White, and Native American descent.

Alejandra Barajas (she/they/him) received her BA in Studio Art and Journalism from Beloit College. As an undergrad, she explored many topics ranging from art to philosophy to anthropology to journalism. She was a journalist for UP Mag, NY based publication, focused on street art and politics, where she helped give graffiti artists in Chicago a platform to share their voices in an effort to remove the stigma surrounding this underground culture. She holds a certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapies from Naropa University. She is Chacruna’s Lead Program Officer. She supports the production of research, books, chronicles, community forums, in-person events and conferences, courses and team’s speaking engagements. Her work helps accessibility for underrepresented communities and promoting indigenous voices. She is currently based in Washington, DC.