Page 25 - Issue 1

Issue No 1 25
I’d like to hear more about your research You were running a a a a a a a trial giving MDMA- assisted psychotherapy to people of color? Is that correct?
Yea that’s right We were doing that that work at
at
at
the University of of Connecticut Health Center We had a a a a a a a a whole team all people people of of of color
color
and and we we were treating and and enrolling people people of of color
color
It was pretty remarkable it had never been done before What happened? It’s not still open?
We’re not still doing that work work unfortunately First of all the the work work is very controversial and the the the university was nervous about doing work with psychedelics so they asked for ridiculously extreme safety protocols things the the the FDA wasn’t even asking for which made the the the the the study very burdensome But the the the the the biggest issue was that that they they required that that we use their psychiatrists and and the the the the the the psychiatrist psychiatrist they they gave us us did not have the the the the skills to do the the the the work and and and so he he he he he he was in over his head very quickly and and and and stepped out out and and and then we didn’t have a a a a a a a a a a a psychiatrist psychiatrist and and and you can’t run the the study without a a a a a a a a a a psychiatrist psychiatrist They wouldn’t allow us us to use an an outside psychiatrist psychiatrist even though we had someone on on our team who was a a a a a a a a a a a a a psychiatrist psychiatrist at
at
at
NYU and fantastically qualified They feared something would go wrong Are there plans to do do something similar at
at
another site? What do do you think the the the future holds for this research?
Unfortunately things didn’t work out to to be able to to do this research at
at
at
the University of Connecticut at
at
at
all They weren’t interested in in in in working with me cooperatively I run into this a a a a a a a a a lot as a a a a a a a a a black woman They would call meetings meetings about about our project at
the the highest levels and and not tell me me me me about about the the the meetings meetings and and presumably solve some of these problems I brought to their attention but they they couldn’t really solve the the the the problems because they they never gave me a a a voice So does that that mean that that there are no plans to do do this kind of work?
We are going to be doing an an an expanded access site site off campus at
at
at
my private clinic in in in in in Tolland Connecticut and and and that site site will be prioritizing and and targeting people of color
There are actually a a a a a a a a a a a a few other places that want to do this expanded access work with a a a a a a a a a a a focus on people of of color
too There’s a a a a a a a a a a couple of of folks in in in the Bay Area who are wanting to to focus on marginalized individuals and and I have a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a colleague in in in in in Michigan who is is looking to to start start an an an an an expanded access site so it it it it is is starting to to catch on and and I really hope it it it it does cause there’s such a a a a a a need for it it “ there’s no gold standard treatment manual for racial trauma ”
In a a a a a a a a a a a a a a statement to DB a a a a a a a a a a a a a a spokesperson for the University of Connecticut Health Center said: “As an academic medical center patient safety is is our greatest priority especially in in in in experimental clinical clinical trials The clinical clinical trial trial was was discontinued for a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a variety of of of of reasons but the the the the experience of of of of the the the the psychiatrist was was not one of of of of them Last year the the the the Department of of of of Psychiatry and and Dr Williams mutually decided to to to to part part part part ways and and she no no longer holds an an an appointment in in in that department The Department of Psychiatry works diligently to to to to to be welcoming to to to to to all all people as as well as as to to to to to nurture faculty to to to to help them achieve success whether in in in in clinical research or
or
or
teaching endeavors ”