Meet the growing team of AMAPP Advisors

Llew
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Dr. Llew Lewis

Dr Llew Lewis completed his medical training in South Africa at the University of Witwatersrand in 1994. He did his internship at Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto and specialised in Psychiatry, becoming a Fellow of the College of Psychiatrists (South Africa) in 2000. He undertook further training in the London Deanery, achieving his Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST) IN 2006 and completing a Postgraduate Diploma in CBT at the Royal Holloway University (London) in the UK. He was appointed as a Consultant Psychiatrist in 2006 with South Essex Partnership Foundation University Trust (SEPT).
Dr Lewis has interests in new service development and has led transformation of service model changes in in-patient and community settings, establishing the functional model of New Ways of Working, developing Lithium, Depot and Wellbeing Specialist Clinics, establishing a DBT service and consultation liaison services in two District General Hospitals. Since 2010 he led the development of a ‘Maintaining Adherence Programme’ in SEPT, based on the pioneering work of Dr Werner Kissling of Munich, Germany, in a joint partnership relationship with Janssen-Cilag.
The Maintaining Adherence Programme, developed by Dr Lewis, won the Patient Experience Network National Award in the category of Providing Information to Patients and Carers in 2013.The work was short listed for the Nursing Times awards 2014, highly commended in the Positive Practice in Mental Health Awards 2014 and won the Royal College of Psychiatrists Adult Psychiatric Team of the Year Awards 2014.
Dr Lewis has pursued a career in medical management, commencing in December 2009 as Clinical Director for Inpatients, Addictions, Psychotherapies and Rehabilitation Psychiatry, followed by the appointment as Deputy Medical Director, Essex, in November 2011. From 2011- 2013 he was the Chair of the Physical and Mental health workstream of the Managed Clinical Network in the East of England. From 2012-2013 he was the Chair of the East of England Psychiatric Specialities Advisory Group. (ERPSAG)
Dr Lewis moved to Australia and was appointed as Clinical Director for Community Mental Health at ACT Health and Canberra Health Services in 2017 where he led the implementation of a contemporary community mental health model of care, including establishing Assertive Community Outreach Services and the Home Assessment and Acute Response Team. He achieved his Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists in 2018.  He served as Director of Clinical Services in the Mental Health Division of Canberra Hospital Services from 2020 until 2021 leading the development of the Coronavirus Pandemic Plan for the Division of Mental Health Justice Health ad Alcohol and Drug Services.
He is presently the Senior Specialist in the mental health crisis service in Canberra and is actively participating in registrar education and training and is the medical lead of a randomised controlled trial in physical and dietary interventions in patients on antipsychotics. Dr Lewis is an Honorary Clinical Fellow at the Australian National University and Principal Investigator in a randomised controlled trial of Psilocybin in treatment resistant depression with the Australian National University Medical School.
Dr Lewis is fascinated by novel therapies and has completed the Certificate in Psychedelic Therapies through Mind Medicine Institute and has a Professional Certificate in Medicinal Cannabis prescribing. In his private practice, Rainbow Mandala Clinic, he treats ADHD, commonly presenting mental disorders and has developed pathways for Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy in collaboration with psychologists for chronic, difficult to treat psychiatric conditions.

Dr Lewis was a founding Board member of the Australian Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Practitioners holding the Chair of the Educational Subcommittee from May 2023 to June 2024.
Dr. Martin Williams
Martin Williams, PhD is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University. Martin’s research background is in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, and he is Executive Director of Psychedelic Research in Science & Medicine (PRISM) and Vice-President of Entheogenesis Australis (EGA). Martin is a co-investigator on a number of Australian clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, including the St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne study of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in palliative care; the Monash PsiConnect neuroimaging study of psilocybin with mindfulness meditation; the Swinburne PsiloDep pilot study and 3PAP RCT of 2- vs 3-dose psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression; and several other studies of psilocybin, MDMA and other psychedelics for the treatment of a range of mental health conditions. Martin has been an articulate advocate for psychedelic medical research and the evidence-based clinical translation of psychedelic-assisted therapies for almost twenty years. He has co-authored several academic papers providing an Australian perspective on the subject, including a recent influential Perspectives paper in Frontiers in Psychiatry, and is co-editor of an upcoming special topic issue of Frontiers, Beyond Psilocybin: Exploring the Clinical Potential of Novel and Alternative Psychedelics. He presents regularly at conferences and symposia, and is a frequent commentator on psychedelic research and governance in Australian print and broadcast media.
Dr. Nikola Ognyenovits M.D., FRACGP, FACRRM, FAChAM (RACP).

Dr Nikola Ognyenovits is a Hungarian born psychedelic therapist and addiction medicine specialist physician living and working in Brisbane, Australia.

Dr Nikola has been using ketamine in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy in his community private practice since 2020.

He has trained in Grof Transpersonal Training, transpersonal psychotherapy and shamanic healing practices. He also completed training in ketamine, MDMA and psilocybin assisted psychotherapies.

Dr Nikola is currently engaged in psychedelic research projects and training therapists in this field in Australia.
Dr. Sandra Dreisbach 

An Ethicist and Psychedelic Ethics specialist with an MA, PhD in Philosophy.  She is an Ethics Advisor active in Psychedelic Integration, Education and Advocacy. Sandra is the community leader of EPIC (Ethical Psychedelic International Community), Director of Ethics for Nectara, a psychedelic support ecosystem, Ethics Director for World Psychedelics Day 6/20, and former leader of the Santa Cruz Psychedelic Society. Sandra taught Bioethics at University of California, Santa Cruz, for ten years; worked for many years in the tech industry primarily at Apple; and is a Reiki Master.
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Dr. Ernest Hunter MBBS, MHP, MA(Rel.), MD (Psych.), FRANZCP, FAFPHM, Dip Am Bd Psych & Neuro
Ernest received his medical degree from the University of Western Australia. He has Masters degrees in Public Health and Religion from the University of Hawaii and a Doctorate in Psychiatry from the University of New South Wales. He completed his psychiatric training with fellowships in Cross-cultural Psychiatry and Child Psychiatry in the United States (Washington University, University of Michigan, University of Hawaii) and was certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He has been a member of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, the Faculty Child Psychiatry and the Faculty of Public Health Medicine. For most of the last four decades he has worked as a clinician in Indigenous communities of northern Australia and held the Foundation Chair of Mental Health Public Health in Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Queensland. He remains an Adjunct Professor with the Cairns Institute of James Cook University. Among various awards he received the Medal of Honour from the RANZCP. Ernest has authored several hundred articles and monographs in the academic press, was a regular contributor to the Weekend Australian and has published three books: Aboriginal Health and History: Power and Prejudice in Remote Australia (Cambridge University Press); Vicarious Dreaming: On Madman’s Island with Jack Idriess (ETT), and; Reef Madness: Digging up the Dirt on an Australian Myth (ETT). Now retired from clinical practice he remains involved in Indigenous youth mental health through a project in remote schools in Cape York and the Torres Strait, and mental health capacity building across small island nations of the Indo-Pacific.  
Dr. Tra'ill Dowie
Dr Traill Dowie is a philosopher, academic, psychotherapist, minister of religion and martial artist. He is an associate professor of psychotherapy, and he holds dual PhDs in Philosophy and psychiatry. Tra-ill is a research fellow at La Trobe University in Philosophy, He has also trained with the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).  Traill was formerly a co -developer and teacher in the certificate of psychedelic assisted therapy at mind medicine. Traill has a deep abiding interest in the history of psychological intervention and medicine more generally including ethno-medicine Traill has formally studied psychodynamic, existential, integrative, transpersonal, and constructivist approaches to therapy. Traill has 25 years of experience working as a clinician in a variety of settings including in private practice and organisations. He began his career working in eco-psychotherapy and wilderness therapy working with complex presentations. Traill has worked in both in-patient and outpatient settings focusing on the treatment of complex trauma. Traill has an abiding interest in all technologies of mind and state alteration, ranging from eastern meditative practices, traditional shamanic techniques (including the use of entheogens), as well as their appearance in psychotherapy and psychology. Traill has become very interested in the way altered states, social context and performativity can lead to profound change in human beings, including the multitude of pathways by which we can organise and optimise human life.Traill considers his greatest achievement in life to be his daughter.
Michael Raymond, Airforce Veteran, BEng (Electrical), Lived Experience
Michael Raymond, a retired Australian Airforce Engineering Officer with 16 years of service, has been a prominent advocate of psychedelic plant medicines for veterans over the last four years. His journey in the Airforce included roles as a fast jet Avionics Technician on F/A18F Super Hornets & F-111s, working with Special Operations and other high-security roles. His pursuit of knowledge led him to acquire a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), culminating in his commission as an officer. After his mental health challenges emerged following his retirement from service, Michael Following the emergence of his mental health challenges post-retirement from service, Michael embarked on a transformative healing odyssey to South America, where he immersed himself in the wisdom of traditional plant medicines. Here, he harnessed the healing potential of psychedelic plant medicines—a pivotal experience that not only likely saved his life but also profoundly altered the trajectory of his journey. Michael's advocacy journey began in 2019 with the publication of his story, a narrative that later unfolded into engaging conversations at both local and international forums. Notably, he serves as an Ambassador for the Neuromedicines Discovery Centre at Monash University. Presently, Michael is at the helm of Heroic Hearts Project Australia, assuming the roles of Co-Founder & CEO. In this capacity, he pioneers plant medicine programs and research uniquely crafted for veterans and first responders, seamlessly incorporating the transformative power of ayahuasca and psilocybin.
 







AMAPP acknowledges the following advisors for their contributions to the psychedelic space. They fulfill diverse roles within the community, each with unique missions and areas of focus.

The inclusion of these advisors on the AMAPP website signals mutual respect and shared values. However, this does not necessarily imply that AMAPP endorses all their actions and beliefs, nor is the endorsement necessarily reciprocated. We strongly believe in recognizing and engaging with a wide spectrum of viewpoints, as befits our role as a multidisciplinary organization. We value the unique perspectives each advisor brings, fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas and ensuring that AMAPP mirrors the diverse psychedelic community. This approach enhances our capacity to achieve our vision and mission of supporting the legal, ethical, accountable, and effective implementation of Psychedelic Assisted Therapies (PAT) in Australia.


Last modified: Monday, 11 November 2024, 8:47 AM