Centre for Psychedelics Health and Research launched at Providence Care Hospital in partnership with QHS

News & Announcements | 16 Sep 2024

A new partnership in Kingston “will help shape the future of psychedelics in health care.”

That’s the vision of Dr. Claudio Soares, the Director of a new research lab-based Providence Care Hospital (PCH) in partnership with Queen’s Health Sciences (QHS), and a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. Last month, the ribbon was cut on the Centre for Psychedelics Health and Research at PCH - among the first of its kind in Canada.

Its roots come from a psychedelics research collaborative founded at QHS in 2001. With new support from the Ontario Brain Institute, and the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND), the Centre will connect local and national partners across various disciplines exploring the therapeutic use of psychedelics in treating mental illness, substance use disorders, chronic pain, and palliative needs.

“Providence Care is at the forefront of psychedelic health and research in Ontario and in Canada. I have no doubt that the Centre will help our health care system make informed choices about the efficacy and safety of psychedelics in the future,” says Dr. Claudio Soares, who is also a Senior Researcher at the hospital.

The Centre will approach psychedelic science in a comprehensive way, providing a nationwide platform for clinical trials, training opportunities for healthcare providers and researchers, and knowledge mobilization initiatives with clinicians, community members and policy makers. It aims to overcome the stigma often associated with the therapeutic use of psychedelics in a health care setting, while serving as a hub for research, education, training and treatment, connecting with experts from across Canada and internationally.

“Psychedelics have shown some promise for people who are struggling, including in the areas of mental health and addictions,” says Jane Philpott, Dean of QHS. “We need research to build the knowledge base that will help us support these patients. That’s why Queen’s was an early leader in this area, and why I’m so pleased that Providence Care and its partners are taking on this next phase.”

Apart from clinical trials and research, the Centre is committed to education, collaboration and engagement and in the future will host a variety of activities, including workshops and educational sessions for the community and partners to discuss clinical trial research and knowledge translation opportunities.

Previously, clinical trials led by QHS and its partners have focused on specific uses for psychedelics in mental health and addiction disorders, but Dr. Soares says there is potential to broaden that research into other disciplines and therapeutic applications for other diseases and conditions. With new partners and the location at PCH, the goal is to achieve more sustainable growth for the Centre and its activities in a clinical research setting that can foster education and knowledge translation that in the future could form the basis for psychedelics curriculum development.

“Psychedelics are emerging as a therapeutic tool for a number of conditions, with the strong potential to help people on their journey to wellness and recovery. Yet much is still unknown about the safety and efficacy of these agents, and regulatory bodies require better research and data than what we have currently,” Dr. Soares says. “The work to be conducted at the Centre will not only benefit the greater Kingston community.”

Centre for Psychedelics Health and Research launched at Providence Care Hospital in partnership with QHS

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