Igor Grant, MD, FRCP(C)
Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry
Director, Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research
UC San Diego
Igor Grant, MD, FRCP(C) is Mary Gilman Marston Distinguished Professor of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Since 2000, Dr. Grant has been Director of the State of California funded Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR). He is also the Director of the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), which encompasses a broad range of interdisciplinary HIV studies including the California NeuroAIDS Tissue Network (CNTN), the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center (HNRC), and the CNS HIV Antiretroviral Therapy Effects Research (CHARTER). Dr. Grant is the founding Editor of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society and founding co-editor of the journal AIDS and Behavior.
José Alexandre S. Crippa, MD, PhD - 2026 Recipient of the Award for Advancing Cannabis and Cannabinoids as Therapeutics
Professor
Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Brazil
José Alexandre S. Crippa, MD, PhD, is Full Professor of Psychiatry at the Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Brazil. He is Co-Director of the Brazilian Cannabinoid Research Center and an internationally recognized expert in cannabinoid-based medicines. His research has focused on the neurobiology and clinical applications of cannabidiol (CBD) for more than two decades, contributing to pioneering preclinical and clinical studies in anxiety, psychosis, and other psychiatric disorders. He has authored more than 510 scientific publications, including over 170 on cannabinoids, with more than 30,000 Google Scholar citations (h-index 107). He is co-inventor of licensed cannabinoid-related patents and has served as a scientific consultant for international academic and pharmaceutical research programs. His work has contributed to the development of cannabinoid-based medicines and to discussions on the regulation of medical cannabinoids worldwide. He received the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines (IACM) Award for Major Contributions to Cannabinoid Clinical Research in 2019 and has been recognized by ExpertScape as the world's leading expert in cannabidiol.
Mahmoud ElSohly, PhD - 2025 Recipient of the combined CMCR Pioneer in Medicinal Cannabis Research and Advancing Cannabis and Cannabinoids as Therapeutics Awards
Research Professor & Professor of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery
National Center for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi
Director, NIDA Marijuana Project
President and Laboratory Director, ElSohly Labs, Inc.
Dr. ElSohly has been at the University of Mississippi since 1975 and in 1985 he started a private laboratory ElSohly Labs, Inc. (ELI) in Oxford, MS, which is an analytical laboratory specializing in providing drug testing services to the industry and also a product development laboratory with a successful SBIR and STTR funding. In 2002 ELI received the National Tibbetts Award for outstanding contributions to the SBIR Program.
Dr. ElSohly is board certified by the American Board of Forensic Examiners and the American Board of Forensic Medicine, and ELI is certified by (DHHS) and the College of American Pathologists since 1988.
Dr. ElSohly has been active in NIH funding over the years with over 1.5 million dollars/year. He authored or coauthored over 400 peer-reviewed publications and over 30 patents.
In 2011 Dr. ElSohly received the University of Pittsburgh’s Legacy Laureate Award, in 2013 the UM Research and Creative Achievement Award and the (ICRS), Life time Achievement Award, and in 2016 the Alexander O. Gettler Award from the (AAFS).
Alexandros Makriyannis, PhD - 2024 Recipient of the Pioneer in Medicinal Cannabis Research Award
Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, and Chemical Biology
George Behrakis Trustee Chair in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
Director of the Center for Drug Discovery
Northeastern University
Alexandros Makriyannis holds the George Behrakis Trustee Chair in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology at Northeastern University and is Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, and Chemical Biology and Director of Center for Drug Discovery. He obtained his PhD in Medicinal Chemistry and completed his post-doctoral training at the University of California, Berkeley. He moved to the University of Connecticut where he rose to the rank of Distinguished Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology and Pharmocology. In 2005, he joined Northeastern University and established a Center for Drug Discovery. Dr. Makriyannis has spent the past four decades inventing and applying chemical, biochemical, and biophysical approaches to study the endocannabinoid system and exploring its therapeutic potential. He is known as a pioneer in Chemical Biology. A particular focus of his work has been the discovery and profiling of novel therapeutic candidates for addiction disorders, metabolic disorders, and pain. His results are described in 600 publications and over 40 patents. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including the AAPS Award in Drug Design and Discovery (2002), the ICRS Mechoulam Life Achievement Award in Cannabinoid Research (2006), the ACS Research Lifetime Acheivement Award in Medicinal Chemistry (2012), the ACS Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame (2013), the AAPS Distinguished Pharmaceutical Scientist Award (2015), the CPDD Nathan B. Eddy Memorial Award (2018), and ICRS President’s Lecture (2019).
Mark Ware, MBBS, MSc, MRCP - 2024 Recipient of the Advancing Cannabis and Cannabinoids as Therapeutics
Alan Edwards Chair in Clinical Pain and Associate Professor of Family Medicine at McGill University
Director, Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit, Montreal General Hospital, McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)
Dr. Ware received his medical degree from the University of the West Indies in 1992. After postgraduate training in internal medicine and research on the painful crisis of sickle cell disease in Jamaica, he completed an MSc in epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1999. He then moved to Montreal as a research assistant and practiced pain management at the MUHC from 2001 to 2018, attaining the rank of tenured associate professor at McGill. His primary research interest was evaluating the safety and efficacy of cannabis in pain management and developing large cohorts of pain patients to identify patterns of care and risk factors for response to treatment. He was a co-founder of the non-profit Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids and served as Executive Director from 2007 to 2018. He has advised the Canadian federal government on cannabis policy since 2001. In 2016, he served as the vice-chair of the Federal Task Force on the Legalization and Regulation of Cannabis in Canada; the report became Canadian Law as the Cannabis Act in October 2018. From 2018 to 2022, Dr. Ware served as Chief Medical Officer of Canopy Growth Corporation. In this capacity he helped establish the Company's global medical division and led the teams responsible for the supply and regulatory documentation, clinical development, medical affairs and global product safety. Dr. Ware practices pain medicine at the Montreal General Hospital. Dr. Ware has received research funding from the CIHR and salary support up the level of chercheur-boursier clinicien senior from the FRSQ. He teaches clinical pain management, including pharmacology, complementary approaches to chronic pain and the neurobiology of pain. His research has focused on the safety, efficacy and effectiveness of cannabis and cannabinoids in pain and symptom management. His educational work is focused on improving pain education at all level of the medical curriculum (undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing medical education). Current interests include the use of music as a therapy for chronic pain and optimizing the interdisciplinary management of pain using innovative digital technologies.
Marilyn Huestis, AB, MS, PhD - 2023 Recipient of the CMCR Pioneer in Medicinal Cannabis Research Award
Professor
Senior Fellow, Institute of Emerging Health Professions, Thomas Jefferson University
President of Huestis & Smith Toxicology, LLC
Professor Dr. Dr. (h.c.) Marilyn Huestis retired as Chief, Chemistry and Drug Metabolism, NIDA, NIH after 23 years of conducting controlled drug administration studies. She currently is a Senior Fellow, Institute on Emerging Health Professions, Thomas Jefferson University, Adjunct Professor, University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, Honorary Professor, Queen Mary University of London and President, Huestis & Smith Toxicology. Her research program focuses on the neurobiology and pharmacokinetics of cannabinoid agonists, kratom/mitragynine, driving under the influence of drugs, and mass spectrometry. She published 585 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Professor Huestis received an AB in biochemistry, Mount Holyoke College, MS in clinical chemistry, University of New Mexico, PhD in toxicology, University of Maryland and a Doctor Honoris Causa, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland. She received many prestigious awards including recently the 2025 Widmark Award ICADTS, 2023 CMCR Pioneer in Medicinal Cannabis Research Award, 2023 Mechoulam Award ICRS, 2021 AACC Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award, and 2021 NSC Distinguished Service to Safety Award. Clinical Chemistry featured her as an “Inspiring Mind”. She serves on WADA’s Prohibited List Committee, and NSC Alcohol, Drugs and Impairment Division Executive Board. She is a SOFT past president, AAFS past Toxicology Chair, and TIAFT past president.
Margaret (Meg) Haney, PhD - 2023 Recipient of the CMCR Award for Advancing Cannabis and Cannabinoids as Therapeutics
Professor of Neurobiology (in Psychiatry)
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Dr. Margaret (Meg) Haney is a Professor of Neurobiology (in Psychiatry) at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. As the Director of the Cannabis Research Laboratory and Co-Director of the Substance Use Research Center, Dr. Haney is internationally recognized for her expertise in cannabis and cannabinoids. Her current work focuses on: (1) conducting placebo-controlled studies testing the efficacy of potential treatment medications for Cannabis Use Disorder, and (2) testing the potential therapeutic effects of cannabis and its constituents for a range of indications, including pain and appetite-enhancement. Dr. Haney’s research has been continuously supported by the National Institute of Health since 1999. She has authored nearly 160 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 12 book chapters, is an Associate Editor for Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, is an Advisory Editor for Psychopharmacology, and co-edited Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews 2018, Cannabis and Cannabinoids: From Synapse to Society. Dr. Haney is a longstanding participant in NIH review groups and advisory councils, is an elected Fellow at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and is a past President of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (2019).
Daniele Piomelli, PhD, MD (hon) - 2022 Recipient of the CMCR Pioneer in Medicinal Cannabis Research Award
Distinguished Professor
UC Irvine
Dr. Daniele Piomelli studied pharmacology and neuroscience with James Schwartz and Eric Kandel at Columbia University (1983-1988), and with Paul Greengard at the Rockefeller University (1988-1990). In 2000, Kandel and Greengard were awarded the Nobel Prize for contributions to physiology and medicine. After working at the INSERM in Paris and at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, with Nobel Laureate Gerald Edelman, Daniele joined the University of California, Irvine, where he is now Louise Turner Arnold Chair in Neurosciences and Distinguished Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology. Daniele is an author of 415 peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Nature, Science, Nature Medicine, PNAS and Nature Neuroscience, three full-length books, and 34 patents. He founded the department of drug discovery and development at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa (Italy), which he directed from 2007 to 2016, and three biopharmaceutical start-ups based on discoveries made in his lab. Since 2018, Daniele serves as Editor-in-Chief of Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, the only peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the study of cannabis, its derivatives, and their endogenous counterparts in the human body. He directs the NIDA Center of Excellence ICAL (Impact of Cannabinoids Across the Lifespan) and UCI’s Center for the Study of Cannabis.
Donald I. Abrams, MD - 2022 Recipient of the CMCR Award for Advancing Cannabis and Cannabinoids as Therapeutics
Professor Emeritus of Medicine
UC San Francisco
Donald I. Abrams, MD is Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. He received an A.B. in Molecular Biology from Brown University and his MD from the Stanford University School of Medicine. After completing an Internal Medicine residency at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in San Francisco, he became a fellow in Hematology/Oncology at the University of California San Francisco in 1980 as the AIDS epidemic was emerging. He was one the original clinician/investigators to recognize and define many early AIDS-related conditions at San Francisco General Hospital where he also served as chief of Hematology-Oncology for 14 years. Long interested in clinical trials of complementary and alternative medicine interventions for HIV/AIDS and cancer, he received funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to conduct a study of the short-term safety of cannabinoids in HIV infection in 1997. Subsequently he received grants from the University of California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research to complete a placebo-controlled trial of cannabis in patients with HIV-related peripheral neuropathy as well as a study evaluating vaporization as a smokeless delivery system. He conducted NIH-funded trials investigating the pharmacokinetic interaction between cannabis and opioid analgesics in chronic pain and cannabis in patients with sickle cell pain. He was a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s committee that published The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research in January 2017.
Geoffrey Guy, MBBS LRCP MRCS LMSSA Dip Pharm Med BSc DSc - 2019 Recipient of the CMCR Award for Advancing Cannabis and Cannabinoids as Therapeutics
With over 30 years of experience in medical research and global drug development, Dr. Geoffrey Guy is the founder of GW Pharmaceuticals and has served as its Chairman since 1998. Dr Guy holds a BSc. in pharmacology from the University of London, an MBBS at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, an MRCS Eng. and LRCP London, an LMSSA Society of Apothecaries and a Diploma of Pharmaceutical Medicine from the Royal Colleges of Physicians.
Geoffrey founded the drug delivery company Ethical Holdings plc in 1985 (now called Amarin Corporation plc). As Chairman and Chief Executive, he led the company to its NASDAQ listing in 1993. He also founded Phytopharm plc in 1989, of which he was Chairman until 1997.
Geoffrey has been the physician in charge of over 200 clinical studies, including those determining the first dose of clinical trial drugs in man; pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, dose-ranging and controlled clinical trials; and large-scale, multi-centered studies and clinical surveys. He is also an author on numerous scientific publications and has contributed to six books.
Geoffrey was appointed as Visiting Professor in the School of Science and Medicine at the University of Buckingham in July 2011. He received the Deloitte Director of the Year Award in Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare in 2011, was appointed Visiting Professor at the University of Westminster in 2016 and was awarded an honorary DSc from the University of Reading in 2016.
Lydia Bell, PhD
Managing Director of Research, NCAA
Lydia Bell is Managing Director of Research at the NCAA. In this role, Lydia oversees all aspects of the NCAA’s research department including study design, data collection/management, survey operations, research communications, policy applications of research and the NCAA library/archives. Lydia has been extensively involved in the department’s student-athlete well-being survey research, its efforts to analyze Division I enrollment, retention and transfer data to inform policy, and in overseeing the department’s grant programs. Prior to joining the NCAA, Lydia was an assistant professor of practice in the Center for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Arizona. She has also held roles in academic advising and student affairs at Pima Community College and Bowdoin College. Lydia received her Ph.D. in Language, Reading and Culture and M.A. in Higher Education from the University of Arizona, and an A.B. in Government & Legal Studies and Sociology from Bowdoin College.
Francis Chaouloff, PhD
Director of Research, Emeritus
Team Endocannabinoids & NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215
After completing a PhD in Neuropharmacology at Paris University, I worked in Switzerland as a post-doc and then as a visiting scientist in the USA (Boston). Research Scientist at INSERM in 1988, I moved to Bordeaux University in 1994. Since the beginning, I have focused my research on two topics, namely exercise and stress. After a sabbatical period on molecular interactions between glutamatergic systems and stress, I then joined the team of Giovanni Marsicano in 2007. Since then, I investigate how the endocannabinoid system controls exercise motivation, studied either alone or in competition with feeding motivation.
Christian Cheung, PhD
Senior Scientist
WHOOP, Inc
Christian Cheung is an integrative cardiovascular exercise physiologist and Senior Scientist at WHOOP Inc. He completed his PhD in Human Health and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph, a Visiting Scholarship within the Division of Cardiology at the University of California, San Francisco, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Maastricht University. His research has examined both the acute cardiovascular response to exercise, and the systems adaptation to a range of stimuli, including exercise training, nutrition, and cannabis use, across populations ranging from elite athletes to clinical populations.
A substantial component of this research has examined the intersection of cannabis use with cardiovascular and exercise physiology, a question that gained prominence alongside the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada and shifting global acceptance. His work in this space has established him as a resource for translating emerging evidence to athletes and practitioners, with invited contributions to the Gatorade Sports Science Institute's Sports Science Exchange and the Sport Information Resource Centre of Canada. At WHOOP, he continues this broader interest in cardiovascular health and human performance, applying his expertise to the study of physiological data collected in real-world settings.
Philip D. Chilibeck, PhD
Professor
College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Saskatchewan, Canada
Phil Chilibeck is a professor in Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. After receiving his B.Sc. from University of Ottawa, he completed his M.Sc. from McMaster University, his Ph.D. from Western University, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta. His research involves nutritional and exercise interventions for clinical populations (people at risk for metabolic disease and osteoporosis) and athletic populations (including football, powerlifting, gymnastics, soccer, rugby, endurance cyclists and runners, track and field, hockey, and Paralympic athletes). He has worked with young athletes and championship masters athletes. He has done extensive work with nutritional supplements including creatine, different proteins, and the benefits of plant-based foods (including lentils, peas, soy, hemp, berries, and flaxseed) on health and performance. He is the former president of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. He is the former editor-in-chief for the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, the current co-editor-in-chief for the journal Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism, and an editor for the European Journal of Applied Physiology and the journal Women. He has received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, Agriculture Canada, and the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers.
Riley Cote
Former NHL Player
Founder of Bullies
Riley Cote is a former NHL player, creative entrepreneur, mindfulness coach, and psychedelic/earth medicine integration facilitator. Following his professional hockey career, Riley dedicated his life to exploring the intersection of human performance, nervous system regulation, rhythm, and plant medicine.
Drawing from more than 15 years of experience in yoga, meditation, breathwork, and West African drumming, Riley creates immersive experiences that help people reconnect with themselves through presence, rhythm, and intentional living. He leads rhythm, culture, and plant medicine retreats in Jamaica, where participants explore the traditional and spiritual relationship with cannabis alongside guided psilocybin experiences, integration practices, and indigenous drumming.
Riley is also the founder of Bullies, a wellness-focused cannabis brand committed to advancing intentional cannabis use through education, mindfulness, and low-dose functional products. His work bridges neuroscience, contemplative practice, ancestral wisdom, and modern cannabis science, inspiring individuals to cultivate resilience, creativity, deeper connection, and lasting well-being.
Sebastiaan Dalle, PhD
Assistant Professor
MovAnt Research Group; Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences; University of Antwerp; Belgium
Exercise & Muscle Physiology Research Group; Department of Movement Sciences; University of Leuven; Belgium
Sebastiaan Dalle is a muscle and exercise physiologist at the University of Antwerp and University of Leuven (Belgium). During his PhD (2016-2021; University of Leuven), he investigated how inflammation drives muscle remodeling during injury and ageing. Hereafter, he obtained 3 postdoctoral fellowships (2021-2028) to uncover how the endocannabinoid system remodels in degenerative skeletal muscle tissue, and to investigate how cannabinoid modulation drives muscle mass, muscle repair and muscle function. Part of his postdoc work was performed at the Pathophysiology of Metabolic Disorders and Diabesity Group (i2MC, INSERM, France) under supervision of Prof. Moro, and at the Institute of Molecular Biosciences (University of Graz, Austria) under the supervision of Prof. Taschler. In 2024, Dalle started as assistant professor at the University of Antwerp and research continues to explore how the endocannabinoid system drives central and peripheral exercise responses, with therapeutic implications for people suffering from metabolic disease.
Andrew "Drew" Durutalo
Former Rugby Player
Founder Kosei Performance
Andrew Durutalo is an American-born, Fijian-raised former international rugby player whose career has spanned the highest levels of both rugby sevens and fifteens. A 2016 U.S. Olympian, Durutalo represented the United States at the Rio Olympic Games in rugby sevens and earned more than 20 caps for the USA Eagles, including competing at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Throughout his professional career, he played for elite clubs and franchises including the Sunwolves in Super Rugby, Worcester Warriors in the English Premiership, Ealing Trailfinders, and the Seattle Seawolves in Major League Rugby.
Having experienced the physical demands of one of the world's most demanding contact sports, Durutalo has become an advocate for athlete health, recovery, and long-term wellness. His perspective is shaped by years of competing at the highest level, where effective pain management and recovery are essential to performance and longevity. At this symposium, Andrew brings the unique viewpoint of an elite rugby athlete to the discussion on cannabis and sports medicine, exploring its potential role in recovery, pain management, and improving quality of life for athletes while contributing to the broader conversation on evidence-based approaches to healing in contact sports.
Alicia Fine, MS, ATC
Associate Director of Health Promotion
Alicia Fine joined the NCAA Sport Science Institute in May 2023 as Associate Director of Health Promotion. As a member of the team, she supports the management of the SSI health promotion portfolio, addressing priority initiatives that include mental health and well-being, sexual violence prevention, substance misuse prevention, sleep, nutrition and performance. Prior to joining the NCAA, Alicia was a faculty member at the University of New Hampshire for three years where she launched and served as coordinator for the undergraduate health sciences program. In this role, she developed and instructed musculoskeletal pathologies, allied health and public health curriculum. Alicia earned her bachelor’s degree in athletic training from the University of Alabama and her master’s degree in health and human physiology from the University of Iowa while serving as a graduate assistant athletic trainer for the men’s and women’s tennis teams.
Greta Gaines
Founder of Herbal Works
Ms. Gaines is a well-known businesswoman in the hemp and cannabis industry. She is known as an innovator especially in her favorite niche—the hemp market. She has been developing hemp-based solutions through product development for over 15 years.
Greta served on the national board of NORML for 3 years and remains on its advisory board. She is also on the advisory board of Patients Out of Time, Tennesseans United and Athlete’s for Care. Greta has displayed a lifelong pattern of success in business from her early days as the first Women's Extreme Snowboarding World Champion to running her own snowboarding camps for women. Greta went on to produce her own television programming on the shows she hosted for Oxygen and ESPN 2. She furthers her success in the entertainment industry with multiple southern-rock album releases. Ms. Gaines has owned and operated her own record label since 1999. Ms. Gaines' opinions are nationally respected in the industry and beyond. She routinely speaks at national industry conventions and educational forums. She has given keynote talks for Women Grow on the history of hemp in America. She had delivered talks for Patients Out of Time on extreme sports athletes and cannabis. Most recently she shared an athletes and cannabis panel with Ricky Williams at the 2025 MJ Bizcon in Las Vegas.
David J. Grelotti, MD
Professor of Psychiatry
Medical Director, Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research
UC San Diego
Dr. Grelotti is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and the Medical Director of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) at the University of California San Diego. An adult and child psychiatrist, he graduated from medical school at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed residency and fellowship training at Harvard Medical School. With colleagues at the CMCR, he is conducting studies of cannabis, cannabinoids, and the endocannabinoid system in a variety of health conditions and on driving.
Steve Gust, PhD
Advisor to Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR)
Chair, CMCR National Advisory Committee
Dr. Gust is currently an advisor to CMCR. He has recently retired from the National Institute on Drug Abuse where he had over 30 years of experience developing and managing research programs on drug abuse and addiction, including over 20 years of managing the USG cannabis research and production programs. He has developed an extensive knowledge of the regulatory requirements for conducting research on cannabis and its constituents, including experience with the DEA and FDA. He also chaired the NIDA Cannabis Science Interest group and represented the Institute to many governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Thomas Hudzik, PhD
Principle Executive
ALA BioPharma Consulting
Dr. Hudzik has worked as a pharmacologist, toxicologist, global program leader and advisor in biopharma, binging molecules and cell therapies from bench to clinic to regulatory and marketing strategy. He’s authored more than numerous peer-reviewed scientific papers, posters, and presentations at forums in neuroscience, substance use disorder, and toxicology and neurology spaces. He’s co-authored and edited 2 books – one on abuse potential assessment and theother on suicidal ideation and behavior noted in pathologies and as adverse events in clinical studies. In 2022, he founded and is the principal executive of ALA Biopharma Consulting, since providing guidance spanning small biotech to large pharma on animal models of disease, drug safety, abuse potential assessment, and regulatory strategy.
Jamie Inman, PhD
Biologist, Research Scientist
Berkeley Lab
Jamie Inman, PhD, is a scientist whose work focuses on understanding how genetically and environmentally complex biological systems respond to stress and perturbation. She received her PhD in Comparative Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, where she trained under the guidance of Mina Bissell and Fenyong Liu.
Dr. Inman’s research integrates advanced experimental models, multi-omic data generation, and predictive computational frameworks to study biological responses across molecular, cellular, tissue, and organismal scales. Her work is driven by the goal of understanding, measuring, and ultimately controlling how complex systems respond to environmental, infectious, chemical, and radiation-associated stressors. By combining systems biology, engineered model systems, and data-driven analysis, she aims to identify mechanisms of resilience and susceptibility that can inform new strategies for prediction, intervention, and therapeutic development.
Thomas Marcotte, PhD
Professor of Psychiatry
Co-Director, Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research
UC San Diego
Dr. Marcotte is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, and Co-Director of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at UC San Diego (www.cmcr.ucsd.edu), which has conducted clinical trials of cannabis for almost 20 years, and has an active, ongoing portfolio exploring the effects of cannabinoids (plant-based, synthetic) in various medical/psychiatric conditions. He is the principal investigator (PI) on studies of the effects of acute cannabis use, and cannabis and alcohol use, on driving performance, and has also been the PI on numerous HIV studies evaluating the impact of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders on real-world functioning, including driving. He serves on a number of impaired-driving task forces, and previously was on the editorial boards of Neuropsychology and the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. He is currently the PI on a study addressing cannabis for the treatment of pain, and has previously been co-investigator on cannabis studies examining pain, and spasticity in multiple sclerosis.
Danielle McCartney, PhD, MND
Associate Lecturer in Pharmacology
Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Dr Danielle McCartney holds a Bachelor of Science from Monash University (Melbourne, Australia), a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics from Griffith University (Gold Coast, Australia), and a PhD from Griffith University, where her doctoral research focused on post-exercise nutrition, hydration and recovery. From 2019 to 2025, Danielle was a Research Fellow at the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics at the University of Sydney (Sydney, Australia), where she conducted clinical research on cannabis and cannabinoids. This included a program of randomised controlled trials investigating the effects of cannabidiol on subjective and physiological responses to exercise. Dr McCartney later joined the Sydney Pharmacy School, University of Sydney, as an Associate Lecturer in Pharmacology.
Patrick Neary, PhD
Professor, Exercise Physiology
Faculty of Kinesiology
University of Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Dr. J. Patrick Neary has 40 years of applied and clinical research experience as an exercise physiologist. He is a Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Health Studies at the University of Regina, Canada. This research investigates the pathophysiology of sport-related concussion, specifically cerebrovascular and cardiovascular changes. Most recently, he received funding from the National Football League (NFL) and NFL Players Association to examine the effects of medical cannabis (cannabinoids) on concussion and chronic pain management. He has conducted physiological (fitness) testing and exercise program design in elite sport (National Hockey League [NHL] Scouting Combine, NHL Teams, Canadian Olympic Hockey Team, and University Varsity Athletics). As an academic he has published more than 250 academic papers, abstracts and book chapters, and more than $13 Million in combined research funding. He is an active Board Member of the Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association.
Ross Rebagliati
Former Olympic Snowboarder
Founder Ross' Gold
David Shurtleff, PhD
Deputy Director, National Center on Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institutes of Health
Cannabis and cannabinoid research at NIH
David Shurtleff, PhD, is Deputy Director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the leading Federal agency for research on integrative and complementary health practices. Dr. Shurtleff is also the Acting Scientific Director and Acting Chief for both the Clinical Investigations Branch and the Pain and Integrative Neuroscience Branch, Division of Intramural Research. He served as Acting Director of NCCIH from October 2017 to November 2018.
Michael Siebers, MD
Assistant Physician in Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry; Researcher
Institute of Forensic Psychiatry and Sex Research / Center forTranslational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
Dr. Michael Siebers is a physician and researcher in psychiatry and forensic psychiatry at the LVR-University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. He studied medicine in Hamburg, beginning in 2015, and completed his doctoral work under the supervision of Professor Johannes Fuß, focusing on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying exercise-induced mood changes and the Runner’s High. His research investigates the role of endogenous cannabinoids in endurance exercise, affective states, reward processing, and pain modulation.
Dr. Siebers received a research scholarship and has contributed to experimental and field studies examining endocannabinoid signaling during running, including controlled treadmill studies, marathon running at Baldeneysee, and ultramarathon running at the TorTour de Ruhr. His work combines clinical psychiatry, translational neuroscience, and sports medicine, with a particular interest in how exercise-induced endocannabinoid dynamics may inform our understanding of mood regulation, substance use, and cannabis-related mechanisms in athletes.
Anna Symonds
Former Rugby Player
Executive Director of the Etheridge Foundation
Anna Symonds is a retired Women's Premier League rugby player whose 20 year athletic career includes a USA Rugby Division 1 national championship and a Sydney Premiership championship. In the separate sport of Touch Rugby, she played for the US Women’s national team at the 2015 Touch World Cup, and won four US national championships with the Portland Hunters. She has also competed in amateur mixed martial arts (MMA).
In 2019, Anna spearheaded a petition to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), signed by more than 150 former professional athletes, to remove THC from its Prohibited Substances list. She also served on the Oregon Cannabis Commission's Research Leadership Subcommittee from 2020-2021.
Anna is the Executive Director of the Etheridge Foundation, a nonprofit that works to advance access to safe, legal, and effective plant medicine and psychedelic treatments for opioid use disorder. She holds a master's degree in Communication and is also an Ambassador for the nonprofits Last Prisoner Project, Athletes for CARE, and the Concussion Legacy Foundation.
Dr. Weiss is the Director, Division of Extramural Research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which oversees NIDA’s extramural programs, operations planning, and trans-NIH initiatives, including the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD®) Study and the HEALthy Brain Child Development (HBCD) Initiative. Dr. Weiss also serves as a senior science advisor to the NIDA Director and scientific liaison to the NIH, HHS, and other Federal Agencies. Previously, she served as the Chief of the Science Policy Branch and Acting Director of NIDA's Office of Science Policy and Communications.
Carey Wheelhouse, PhD, PA-C
Director of Health Promotion
Dr. Carey Wheelhouse is the director of health promotion in the NCAA Sport Science Institute. In this role, Carey oversees the SSI health promotion service line, serving as the membership point of contact on topics including mental health, substance misuse prevention and harm reduction, interpersonal violence prevention, sleep and student-athlete health promotion. Prior to joining SSI in 2022, Carey was the director of clinical assessment and assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center Division of PA Education. As a nationally certified PA, Carey has over 10 years of team-based patient-care experience. She has provided care to a broad range of athletes, including collegiate athletes, in orthopedics and sports medicine settings and she also practiced in behavioral health. Carey earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and her master’s degree in PA studies from the University of South Dakota. Carey completed an executive fellowship in addiction medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where she also earned her PhD in health promotion.
Ricky Willams
Former NFL Player
CEO & Co-founder of Lila Labs, Inc., President & Co-founder of Highsman, and Founder of Real Wellness