Professor Gregor Hasler stands at the forefront of revolutionary psychedelic research and neuroplasticity studies, transforming our understanding of mental health treatment through groundbreaking scientific discoveries. As Chair of Psychiatry at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he directs the Molecular Psychiatry Lab, Hasler has pioneered research on how psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA reshape brain function to treat depression, PTSD, and addiction. His Genomic Press Interview reveals a career dedicated to uncovering rapid antidepressant mechanisms and developing innovative treatments that offer hope to millions suffering from psychiatric conditions. His interdisciplinary team investigates how psychedelics rapidly enhance neuroplasticity, with clinical improvements lasting months or years after treatment. Hasler's groundbreaking discovery of mGluR5 as a biomarker for nicotine dependence represents his greatest scientific success, demonstrating his ability to translate complex molecular research into practical clinical applications. Honored with prestigious awards including the NARSAD Independent Investigator Award and the Robert Bing Award from the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences, he bridges rigorous neuroscience with compassionate clinical practice. His influential book Higher Self: Psychedelics in Psychotherapy captures decades of research wisdom, proposing bold visions for psychiatry's future. As former President of the Swiss Society for Drug Safety in Psychiatry and a member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Hasler ensures the safe integration of psychedelic therapies into mainstream medicine. His work on glutamate and GABA neurotransmitter systems has fundamentally changed how we understand mood disorders, offering new pathways for treatment-resistant conditions and establishing him as a transformative leader in modern psychiatry.

Professor Harriet de Wit, a pioneering researcher in psychoactive drugs at the University of Chicago, shares her remarkable 45-year scientific journey in this illuminating Genomic Press Interview. As Director of the Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory and recipient of prestigious honors including the 2019 European Behavioral Pharmacology Society Distinguished Investigator Award, Dr. de Wit has revolutionized our understanding of how drugs like MDMA and LSD affect human behavior and consciousness. Her groundbreaking research, continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for over 42 years—an extraordinary achievement in scientific excellence—has revealed crucial insights into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics and their effects on social connection, empathy, and neural function. Most recently, her laboratory demonstrated that MDMA enhances feelings of social connectedness during interpersonal interactions, findings that have profound implications for PTSD treatment and psychotherapy. As the expert consulted by renowned authors like Michael Pollan to understand psychedelic neuroscience, Dr. de Wit bridges the critical gap between animal research and human studies, using pioneering methodologies to translate behavioral observations across species. Her innovative work on microdosing, place preference procedures, and drug-induced neural actions has established new paradigms in addiction science and psychiatric treatment. She served as Field Editor for Psychopharmacology and Deputy Editor for Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research for many years. Throughout her career, Dr. de Wit mentored numerous post-doctoral fellows and graduate students. Her life's work has been defined by curiosity, patience, and scientific rigor, first acquired as a graduate student from her advisor, Jane Stewart, at Concordia University. From her roots in Canada, Dr. de Wit went on to become one of the world's foremost authorities on psychopharmacology.

In this Genomic Press Interview, Deanna M. Kaplan, PhD, emerges as a pioneering clinical psychologist reshaping how we understand human experience through innovative ambulatory assessment technologies at Emory University School of Medicine, where she serves as Assistant Professor, Director of Health Technologies for Emory's Spiritual Health Program, and Director of the Human Experiences and Ambulatory Technologies (HEAT) Lab. Dr. Kaplan has distinguished herself through groundbreaking methodological contributions, including the development of Fabla. This smartphone application revolutionizes clinical research by securely capturing voice narratives and speech biomarkers in participants' natural environments, currently utilized across multiple research domains from psychedelic-assisted therapies to physician burnout studies. Her interdisciplinary expertise spans ecological momentary assessment, the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR), and various ambulatory monitoring techniques, with over 50 peer-reviewed publications examining the intersection of daily life experiences, clinical interventions, and digital health technologies. With significant funding from the National Institutes of Health and other organizations, Dr. Kaplan's forward-thinking research addresses critical questions at the nexus of behavioral science and artificial intelligence, emphasizing ethical approaches to voice data analysis that preserve the richness of human subjectivity while leveraging technological advances to enhance understanding of psychological change mechanisms in real-world contexts. A graduate of the University of Arizona (PhD, 2020) with postdoctoral training at Brown University, Dr. Kaplan's innovative research program explores both the transformative potential and ethical challenges of emerging technologies in clinical science, investigating how relationally-focused ambulatory assessment methods can advance personalized interventions while maintaining the essential human elements of care.