Mindful Journeys: A Careful Exploration of Psychedelics in Eating Disorder Treatment

Aaron Keshen, MD, Dalhousie University, Canada

Dr. Aaron Keshen is Medical Director of the Nova Scotia Provincial Service for Eating Disorders and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University. He regularly publishes in the eating disorder field and is a primary investigator in five grant funded studies related to eating disorder treatment. One area of interest includes the use of medications to treat eating disorders. He has published a book chapter on this topic and a recent review article on GLP-1A agonists and eating disorders. Additionally, Dr. Keshen has completed a feasibility trial examining the safety and preliminary efficacy of treating bulimia nervosa with stimulant medication, and has written a review article on the topic of stimulant medication and eating disorders. Recently, he has started a prospective study examining the impact of stimulant medication on loss-of-control eating in children with ADHD.

Stephen Touyz, PhD, University of Sydney, Australia

Stephen Touyz is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Sydney and Director of the Inside Out Institute, a joint partnership between the Sydney Local Health District and the University of Sydney. He is Editor in Chief of the Journal of Eating Disorders which he co-founded a decade ago. He is a past president of the Eating Disorders Research Society. He is a member of the Commonwealth Government of Australia’s Technical Advisory Group for Eating Disorders and a member of the steering committee of the National Eating Disorders Collaboration. He was presented with a leadership award in research by the Academy of Eating Disorders in 2012, the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award by the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Eating Disorders in 2014 and the Ian M Campbell Prize in Clinical Psychology from the Australian Psychological Society in 2014. He has edited/co-edited 6 books and published over 480 scholarly papers/book chapters.

Phillipa Hay, MD, Western Sydney University, Australia

Professor Phillipa Hay is a leading mental health researcher, educator, and practicing Psychiatrist. Her research has been translational, guided policy and practice, and award winning, e.g., in 2015 she received the Lifetime Leadership Award from the ANZ Academy for Eating Disorders, and in 2020 she was awarded the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) Senior Research Award. She laid the foundations for mental health programs in two new medical schools James Cook and Western Sydney.  She has a DPhil in Psychiatry from the University of Oxford and MD (Medicine) from University of Otago, is a Fellow of the RANZCP, and Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED).