David Yaden
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychedelic Research
Data updated
Research Footprint
David Yaden appears in 27 tracked papers (2016–2026), most studied alongside Psilocybin, MDMA and LSD, across Depressive Disorders, Anxiety Disorders and Substance Use Disorders (SUD).
Most-cited paper: The Subjective Effects of Psychedelics Are Necessary for Their Enduring Therapeutic Effects (526 citations).
Frequent co-authors: Sandeep Nayak, Albert Garcia-Romeu and Roland Griffiths.
Background & Research
David B. Yaden, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and holds the Roland Griffiths Professorship in Psychedelic Research. Trained as a psychologist and clinical researcher, he directs and contributes to a broad programme of work spanning naturalistic and clinical studies, systematic reviews, and methodological and ethical guidance for the emerging field of psychedelic therapeutics. His scholarship bridges empirical investigation of subjective effects (including mystical-type experiences and changes in mind perception), analysis of safety and adverse events, and pragmatic questions about how concomitant medications (for example SSRIs/SNRIs) interact with classic psychedelics.
Yaden has authored and co‑authored observational and longitudinal studies, conceptual papers, and reviews that emphasise rigorous measurement, transparent reporting, and harm‑minimisation. Notable areas of contribution include prospective naturalistic investigations of psilocybin use, comparative analyses of psychedelic versus non‑psychedelic mystical experiences, re‑examination of dissociation in the context of esketamine treatment, and participation in working groups and guidelines aimed at improving research ethics and methodological standards in psychedelic science. He is recognised for advocating careful, evidence‑based integration of psychedelics into psychiatric research and practice.
Key Impact
A leading empirical researcher at Johns Hopkins who has advanced understanding of the subjective effects, safety profile, and ethical/methodological best practices in contemporary psychedelic science.
Collaboration Network
44 collaborators· click a node to visit their profile
Full network →Compounds
Topics
Top Collaborators
Affiliations
Institutions, companies, and organisations David Yaden is associated with.
Johns Hopkins University
academicThe Centre for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research focuses on how psychedelics affect behavior, cognition, brain function, and biological health markers. They have been at the forefront of demonstrating the safety and efficacy of psychedelics for mental disorders, expanding their focus into psilocybin research across multiple mental health conditions, including smoking cessation, major depressive disorder, and cancer-related anxiety.
View stakeholder →University of Pennsylvania
The Penn Psychedelics Collaborative at the University of Pennsylvania is a multi-school consortium of researchers, clinicians, and faculty advancing transdisciplinary psychedelic science across Penn Medicine and Penn Nursing, including clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy and psilocybin research. Penn researchers are also leading the development of bioethical guidelines for psychedelic-assisted therapy and community implementation frameworks.
View stakeholder →