jfairchild

Jamie Beachy, MDiv, PhD, is a spiritual health (chaplaincy) educator, ethics consultant and psychedelic therapy practitioner. She served as Director of Education for the Naropa University Center for Psychedelic Studies, co-founded the Psychedelic Care Research Network, and has spoken broadly on the role of professional spiritual care in psychedelic therapy.

Ira Byock, MD, is a leading medical authority, author and public advocate for improving care for people living with serious medical conditions, and is a past president of the Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. His article, “Taking Psychedelics Seriously”, in 2018, helped spark renewed interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies within the field of palliative care.

Henry Fersko-Weiss, LCSW, created the first U.S. end-of-life doula program at Continuum Hospice in New York City in 2003. He co-founded the International End of Life Doula Association and wrote the book Caring for the Dying, The Doula Approach to a Meaningful Death, now reprinted with new material as Finding Peace at the End of Life.

Manish Agrawal, MD, currently serves as Founder & CEO of Sunstone Therapies, a leader in the delivery of psychedelic-assisted therapy in the medical setting and in the development of clinical trials for those affected by complex mental health challenges.

Mary Cosimano, LMSW, Psychedelic Support and Integration LLC, served as Director of Clinical Services, Psychedelic Session Facilitator, and a Research Program Coordinator at Johns Hopkins University in the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. She also has 15 years of experience with direct patient care as a hospice volunteer.

Janis Phelps, PhD, is the Director of the Psychedelic Therapies and Research at the California Institute of Integral Studies, developing and launching the first university accredited, post-graduate training program for psychedelic therapy and research.

Roshi Joan Halifax, PhD, is a Buddhist teacher and Founder and Head Teacher of Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She works with dying people and their families, and teaches health care professionals and family caregivers the psychosocial, ethical and spiritual aspects of care of the dying.

Linda Lentini has over 20 years of peer service experience, with 10 of those focused on the mind-body connection around mental health and addiction recovery. She is the Executive Director of BBMF and a Level-4 workshop facilitator, and worked closely with Dr. Gerbarg and Dr. Brown when BBM transitioned from in-person to Zoom courses in response to COVID-19.

Tashel C. Bordere, PhD, CT is an internationally-known scholar, author, and speaker, and a grant-funded researcher at the Center for Family Policy and Research at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is certified in Thanatology. Dr. Bordere has done workshops, keynotes, and published research on inequities in loss and culturally resonant practices, including her co-edited book, Handbook of Social Justice in Loss and Grief (Routledge). She is a grief health advisor on films and has been featured in national/international media.

Cora Welsh, CCLS, MA, is the Program Manager of Pediatric Palliative Care at Johns Hopkins. She provides psycho-social support to patients and families as well as follow-up bereavement care. She has degrees in Child Life, Literature and Pastoral Care, and special interest in adolescents and informed decision-making at all stages of development.

Emily Johnson, MSN, CRNP, is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner who provides palliative care in Johns Hopkins' Pediatric ICU. With extensive experience in pediatric critical care nursing, she has cared for hundreds of dying children. In addition to advanced degrees in nursing, Emily holds certificates in Nurse Education and Pediatric Bioethics.

Jeanne Denney, MA, is a somatic psychotherapist, educator, hospice worker, founder of the School of Unusual Life Learning (SoULL) and author of The Effects of Compassionate Presence on the Dying. She has worked in many roles to help people fearlessly embrace a life which includes aging, dying and nature.