Berra Yazar-Klosinski, Ph.D., is an employee of the 501(c)(3) non-profit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) with a dual appointment as the Chief Scientific Officer of MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC), a wholly owned subsidiary of MAPS. Dr. Yazar-Klosinski is responsible for development of strategic, catalytic, and capacity-building activities to facilitate research on the risk/benefit profile of psychedelics in compliance with the global regulatory landscape. She has been actively involved in the various stages of nonclinical and clinical development of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, LSD-assisted psychotherapy, cannabis, and ibogaine.

After gaining experience in clinical research laboratories with Geron Corporation and Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Yazar-Klosinski joined MAPS in 2009 to work with an organization where profit wouldn’t dictate the agenda of scientific research. Over the last 10 years, she has supported MAPS clinical research and regulatory affairs through all stages of growth. Dr. Yazar-Klosinski has developed a strong track record of success with FDA, state regulatory agencies and multiple regulatory agencies outside of the USA.

Dr. Yazar-Klosinski earned her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Drama from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2010. She is a Turkish hunter-gatherer who is supporting the growth of her family and pets in harmony with the natural world as she works tirelessly to transform the future.

Resources:
Open Access articles related to MAPS research
Phase 3 trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD
Phase 2a trial of Cannabis for PTSD

MDMA & Sleep:
MDMA alters the response of the circadian clock to a photic and non-photic stimulus

Time of MDMA administration in Monkeys influences effects on sleep

MDMA improves self-reported sleep quality in PTSD patients with durable effects when administered at least 10 hrs before bedtime (10am)

In healthy volunteers, MDMA facilitated participants’ reported ability to more readily fall asleep when administered 14 hrs before bedtime

Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index

Berra’s recommended books & resources:
Power of Attachment (Diane Poole Heller)
Consciousness Medicine (Francoise Bourzat)
This Is Your Mind on Plants (Michael Pollan)
TED Talk on Why I Train Grandmothers to Treat Depression (Dixon Chibanda)