Pedram Dara

Pedram Dara is the founder and director of Psychedelic Lived Experiences, a patient-led initiative bridging clinical science and lived experience to strengthen decision-making in research, practice, and policy through integrated insights.

A former participant in an MDMA-assisted therapy clinical trial, Pedram has advocated for improved patient safety and treatment efficacy since 2019. Combining his background in media and technology with qualitative intelligence and systems design, he is building participant-centered infrastructure that enhances safety, ethics, and long-term outcomes in clinical innovation.

He organizes the Psychedelic Lived Experiences Summit, a global convening of over 3,000 attendees from 74 countries, uniting patients, trial participants, therapists, and researchers to center lived expertise in institutional decision-making. His perspectives have been shared with policymakers at the U.S. FDA and the European Parliament and featured in leading journals, including Nature Medicine.

Pedram collaborates with researchers, therapists, sponsors, and regulators to reinforce governance, risk visibility, and accountability—helping shape a future where healthcare advances with rigor, integrity, and the people most affected at the center.