Meet our Medical Advisory Board
Our board of experts are trailblazers in the fields of psychedelic research, ketamine therapy, and clinical psychology. They guide the clinical protocols to ensure your experiences are safe and science-backed.
Leonardo Vando, MD
Dr. Leonardo Vando is a Board Certified Psychiatrist and Addiction Psychiatrist with over 15 years of experience in treating the full spectrum of psychiatric and addictive disorders...
Leonardo Vando, MD
Dr. Leonardo Vando is a Board Certified Psychiatrist and Addiction Psychiatrist with over 15 years of experience in treating the full spectrum of psychiatric and addictive disorders. He specializes in treating complex conditions requiring integration of genetic, metabolic, cultural and psychosocial data points in order to achieve reduction of symptoms and promote healing.
Dr. Vando has been at the forefront of ketamine use in clinical practice, developing intramuscular protocols to achieve rapid results and minimize adverse events for treatment-resistant depression and addictive disorders, with a focus on increasing access to treatment in low income communities. He is also contributing to the field of psychedelic medicine through his work and research on microdosing for mental illness.
He attended Sacred Heart University as a chemistry undergrad and received a medical degree from Ponce School of Medicine. He trained as a psychiatrist and addictionologist in NYC’s Beth Israel Medical Center. He currently resides in New York, where he has worked in private practice for over a decade.
Casey Paleos, MD
Dr. Casey Paleos is a board certified psychiatrist with over a decade of experience working with ketamine and other psychedelic medicines in both research and clinical settings...
Casey Paleos, MD
Dr. Casey Paleos is a board certified psychiatrist with over a decade of experience working with ketamine and other psychedelic medicines in both research and clinical settings. A Co-Principal Investigator for the NYU-Bellevue Ketamine for Depression Study, Dr. Paleos was one of the early researchers to identify ketamine as a breakthrough treatment for depression. As a clinician, he has been treating patients for depression and anxiety using ketamine therapy in his New York private practice since 2016.
In addition to his work with ketamine, Dr. Paleos has helped advance research in other areas of psychedelic medicine. Today, he serves as a Co-Principal Investigator for the MAPS-sponsored MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD Phase 3 Clinical Trials. Previously, he was a Co-Principal Investigator for the MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Phase 2 Clinical Trials and a Study Therapist for the NYU Psilocybin Cancer Anxiety Study.
Dr. Paleos received his M.D. from University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and completed his residency training at NYU/Bellevue Medical Center. He earned his Bachelor of Science from Cornell University.
Vanila Singh, MD MACM
Dr. Singh is the former Chief Medical Officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she served as Acting Regional Health Administrator of the western US as well as Chairperson of the highly regarded Pain Management Task Force in conjunction with the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
Vanila Singh, MD MACM
Dr. Singh is the former Chief Medical Officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she served as Acting Regional Health Administrator of the western US as well as Chairperson of the highly regarded Pain Management Task Force in conjunction with the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs. The Congressionally-mandated task force report on pain management best practices in the face of the growing opioid crisis was a federal advisory committee made up of extensive experts from various fields and specialties as well as supported by hundreds of organizations including the AMA, Human Rights Watch and others. , Dr. Singh’s work was integral in shaping HHS opioid policy.
In addition to her work at HHS, Dr. Singh has spent over 18 years at the Stanford University School of Medicine as a Clinical Associate Professor. Her teaching focuses on anesthesiology, pain, and perioperative medicine. Dr. Singh also serves as a teaching mentor at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Dr. Singh is double board-certified in pain management and anesthesiology, with over 25 years of experience in the medical field. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a background in molecular and cell biology and economics. She received her medical degree from George Washington University Medical Center, and residency and fellowship at Weill Cornell New York Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Singh has received numerous awards for achievement in pain medicine, and is a frequent speaker on issues surrounding public health and telemedicine.
Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD
Dr. Gazzaley is a neuroscientist, neurologist, inventor, and entrepreneur. He is the David Dolby Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Physiology, and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Neuroscape, a translational neuroscience center at UCSF engaged in technology creation and scientific research.
Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD
Dr. Gazzaley is a neuroscientist, neurologist, inventor, and entrepreneur. He is the David Dolby Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Physiology, and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Neuroscape, a translational neuroscience center at UCSF engaged in technology creation and scientific research. At Neuroscape, Dr. Gazzaley designs and develops novel brain assessment and optimization tools to impact education, wellness, and medicine practices.
In addition to his work at UCSF, Dr. Gazzaley is Co-Founder and Chief Science Advisor of Akili Interactive, a company developing therapeutic video games, and is also the Co-Founder and Chief Scientist of JAZZ Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in experiential technology to improve human performance. Dr. Gazzaley has served as a scientific advisor to more than a dozen companies including Apple, GE, Nielsen, Deloitte, Janssen, and PepsiCo, as well as the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. He has been issued numerous patents, including for his invention of the first video game ever approved by the FDA. Dr. Gazzaley is a frequent speaker and author on topics in science and mental health, and is a Trustee and Science Council Member and Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Gazzaley obtained an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He completed a Neurology residency at the University of Pennsylvania, and postdoctoral training in cognitive neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley.
Benjamin Weinstein, MD
Dr. Benjamin Weinstein is the Chair of Psychiatry and Chief of Service at Houston Methodist Hospital, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 hospital in Texas, and he is the C. James and Carole Walter Looke Presidential Distinguished Centennial Clinical Academic Scholar in Behavioral Health...
Benjamin Weinstein, MD
Dr. Benjamin Weinstein is the Chair of Psychiatry and Chief of Service at Houston Methodist Hospital, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 hospital in Texas, and he is the C. James and Carole Walter Looke Presidential Distinguished Centennial Clinical Academic Scholar in Behavioral Health. He is also a Clinical Professor at UT McGovern Medical School.
His life’s work has been to treat patients with complex and severe mental illness. Dr. Weinstein is passionate about increasing access to effective mental health treatments, and he believes Mindbloom can play a transformative role in psychiatry by safely providing industry-leading outcomes and increasing affordability of ketamine treatment to people anywhere in the country. Dr. Weinstein aspires to increase awareness of this promising treatment and accelerate insurance coverage.
Dr. Weinstein is board certified in Psychiatry and eligible Neurology with 23+ years of experience in the medical field. He graduated from the Medical University Of South Carolina medical school and later served on faculty, where he won multiple awards for teaching and clinical excellence. Prior to joining Houston Methodist, he served as Assessment Division Director at The Menninger Clinic and Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine.
Alok Madan, PHD, MPH
Dr. Alok Madan is Vice Chairman, Department of Psychiatry and John S. Dunn Foundation Distinguished Centennial Clinical Academic Scholar in Behavioral Health at Houston Methodist. He is also Professor of Psychology in Neurosurgery at Houston Methodist Academic Institute and Professor of Psychology in Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Alok Madan, PHD, MPH
Dr. Alok Madan is Vice Chairman, Department of Psychiatry and John S. Dunn Foundation Distinguished Centennial Clinical Academic Scholar in Behavioral Health at Houston Methodist. He is also Professor of Psychology in Neurosurgery at Houston Methodist Academic Institute and Professor of Psychology in Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College.
He joined Mindbloom’s Medical Advisory Board after reviewing the remarkable clinical outcomes that our clients have experienced from remote ketamine therapy, and he is excited to co-author an upcoming clinical study using Mindbloom’s outcomes data to further advance research and increase access to this innovative mental health treatment.
Dr. Madan has extensive experience in the implementation and evaluation of programs to improve care quality. He has led efforts to improve the safety of inpatient psychiatric care, implement outcomes assessment systems, evaluate the effectiveness of integrated psychiatric treatment for individuals with severe neuropsychiatric illness as well as identify biomarkers of illness and response to treatment.
He earned his doctorate in clinical psychology and master of public health degrees from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has been involved in formal training, direct patient care, clinic management and research to improve neuropsychiatric care for 15+ years. Prior to joining Houston Methodist, he was an Associate Professor at Medical University of South Carolina and Baylor College of Medicine and was a McNair Scholar and Senior Psychologist at The Menninger Clinic.
Teddy Akiki, MD
Dr. Teddy Akiki is a foremost research specialist in the neuroscience of ketamine, the neural basis of stress-related and trauma-related psychiatric disorders, and glutamatergic Rapid-Acting Antidepressants (RAADs)...
Teddy Akiki, MD
Dr. Teddy Akiki is a foremost research specialist in the neuroscience of ketamine, the neural basis of stress-related and trauma-related psychiatric disorders, and glutamatergic Rapid-Acting Antidepressants (RAADs). His research combines functional and structural neuroimaging, psychopharmacological trials, and computational and network neuroscience methodology.
Currently conducting research at the Cleveland Clinic’s esteemed Neurological Institute, Dr. Akiki started his neuroscience research as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Yale University Department of Psychiatry, where the antidepressant effects of ketamine were first described over two decades ago.
Dr. Akiki received his M.D. from the American University of Beirut where his doctoral research consisted of developing novel biomarkers in the context of neuromodulation and treatment-resistant depression. Dr. Akiki served as editor for Elsevier’s Psychology and Psychiatry journal and has published over fifteen peer-reviewed articles in science journals including ScienceDirect and SAGE Chronic Stress journal.
Cameron Sepah, PhD
Dr. Cameron Sepah is an Assistant Clinical Professor in UCSF Medical School's Department of Psychiatry, where he has been awarded the Excellence in Teaching award for training Psychiatry residents in evidence-based therapies including CBT and ACT...
Cameron Sepah, PhD
Dr. Cameron Sepah is an Assistant Clinical Professor in UCSF Medical School's Department of Psychiatry, where he has been awarded the Excellence in Teaching award for training Psychiatry residents in evidence-based therapies including CBT and ACT. Previously, Dr. Sepah was Founding Team Member & VP of Clinical Innovation at Omada Health, the leading digital therapeutics company for chronic diseases. He has been awarded research grants from the National Institute of Health and National Science Foundation, and today invests in and advises health care technology companies.
Dr. Sepah received his PhD in Clinical Psychology, focusing on PsychoNeuroImmunology, from UCLA and completed his residency & fellowship at UCSD/San Diego/Chicago VA in Behavioral Medicine, after graduating from Harvard University with an undergraduate degree in Psychology, focusing on Cognitive Neuroscience.
Kristin Arden, PMHNP-BC
Kristin represents the voice of the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner at Mindbloom. She is a board-certified Psychiatric NP with over 15 years of experience working in mental health.
Kristin Arden, PMHNP-BC
Kristin represents the voice of the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner at Mindbloom. She is a board-certified Psychiatric NP with over 15 years of experience working in mental health. She spent nearly a decade in the California state hospital system working with some of our nation’s most vulnerable. Driven by her passion to increase access to mental care, she’s been at the forefront of integrating technology into care delivery models with early roles at cutting edge health-tech start-ups including Oscar and Call9, and by bringing telemental health to the Brooklyn VA Hospital.
As a clinician, Kristin is a proponent for alternative forms of treatment such as psychedelic medicines and treated the first cohort of clients at Mindbloom. Her approach to treatment is one that is client-centered driven by the ethos of harm reduction. In addition to her clinical practice, she is a guest lecturer at NYU-School of Nursing on topics such as psychedelic therapy and substance use disorders.
Kristin graduated from NYU’s Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner program and specialty track in substance use and addictions where she received the distinguished student award. She is currently pursuing her DNP at Rush University.