IASIC Speaker Series

Tuesday, February 24th @ 10:00 AM Eastern

The IASIC Speaker Series continues with Dr. Khokhar, a leading researcher in translational neuropsychopharmacology, for a timely webinar titled “Cannabis Vaping, Edibles, and Genetics: What Can We Learn from Animal Models.” Drawing on innovative animal-model research, Dr. Khokhar will examine how emerging routes of cannabis administration—such as vaping and edibles—interact with genetic vulnerability and developmental processes to influence substance use risk. His work offers critical insights into the behavioral, neural, and pharmacokinetic mechanisms shaping today’s rapidly evolving cannabis landscape. 

Speaker:Jibran Y. Khokhar, Ph.D.  

About the Speaker: Dr. Khokhar completed his undergraduate training at Queen’s University, and his Ph.D. in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Toronto and CAMH, under the supervision of Dr. Rachel Tyndale. He then completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at Dartmouth College with Dr. Alan GreenDr. Khokhar held a CIHR Post-doctoral Fellowship as well as NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Dr. Khokhar was recently hired as an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Translational Neuropsychopharmacology in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Schulich School of Medicine at Western University. Since starting his independent research group the lab has published 60 papers and received nearly $6 million in funding from federal and industry sources. Dr. Khokhar research revolves around establishing the behavioural and neural correlates of various types of vulnerabilities to substance use, starting from genetic risk to effects on development. He is also very interested in the pharmacokinetics of various routes of drug exposure, and has established tools and methods to study emerging routes of administration such as vaping and edibles. 

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The Role of Cannabis Use and Policy in Mass Shootings: Findings from the Columbia Mass Murder Database with Dr. Ragy Girgis

Wednesday, March 25th @ 1:00 PM Eastern

The IASIC Speaker Series welcomes Dr. Ragy Girgis, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University, for a compelling presentation titled “The Role of Cannabis Use and Policy in Mass Shootings: Findings from the Columbia Mass Murder Database.” Drawing on the most comprehensive mass murder repository ever assembled, Dr. Girgis will examine emerging evidence on the intersection of cannabis use, mental illness, and policy within the context of mass violence. This data-driven discussion offers critical insights for researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and prevention professionals seeking to better understand complex risk factors behind mass shootings.

Speaker: Ragy R. Girgis, M.D., M.S   

About the Speaker:

Ragy Girgis, MD is a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry and New York State Psychiatric Institute. His research often employs advanced imaging techniques such as MRI and PET scans, alongside clinical trials, to explore the complexities of psychosis and violence in mental illness. He has received grant funding as Principal Investigator from organizations including the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and the Stanley Medical Research Institute. Dr. Girgis has published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers and numerous books on severe mental illness, including his recent exploration of the intersection between religion and psychiatry, On Satan, Demons, and Psychiatry: Exploring Mental Illness in the Bible. 

Over the past 6 years, Dr. Girgis has worked extensively with colleagues to construct the most comprehensive mass murder repository in existence (the Columbia Mass Murder Database). This work has attracted the attention of many outside of academia and science, and Dr. Girgis has become a widely sought-after public speaker and commentator in all forms of media, including numerous podcasts, radio interviews, documentaries, live television interviews, written news articles, and more, from a variety of news and other media companies, including ABC, CBS, CNN, Wired, Scripps, Live NOW Fox, the Toronto Star, the NY Times, and USA Today, among others. 

Register here!

Not All Kids Are Alright: Pediatric and Youth Emergency Visits and Hospitalizations after Cannabis Legalization

Friday, May 22nd @ 01:00 PM Eastern

IASIC Speaker Series is pleased to invite you to join us for an insightful webinar, Not All Kids Are Alright: Pediatric and Youth Emergency Visits and Hospitalizations after Cannabis Legalization, featuring groundbreaking research from Cheryl Y. S. Foo, Ph.D., and Toby Raybould, M.S. This session will explore the evolving landscape of youth health in the era of cannabis legalization and the public health implications for families, clinicians, and policymakers.

Speakers: Cheryl Y. S. Foo, Ph.D. and Toby Raybould, M.S.

About the Speakers:

Cheryl Y. S. Foo, Ph.D., is the Associate Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center of Excellence for Psychosocial and Systemic Research, Director of Family Services of the MGH First Episode and Early Psychosis Program, and an Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. As a clinician-researcher and implementation specialist, her work is focused on making evidence-based treatments for individuals with serious mental illness more accessible and used in community care settings. Her clinical expertise is in providing cognitive behavioral therapies and family interventions for early psychosis, particularly for those with co-occurring substance use disorders. Her research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.

Toby Raybould, M.S., is the Trauma Outreach Program Manager for adult and pediatric trauma at Massachusetts General Hospital. She has a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health with a focus on Health and Social Behavior, including the use of theoretical models for health behavior change. She has experience identifying best practices, designing, implementing, and evaluating health promotion and prevention programs at Children’s Hospital Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, the American Legacy Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

In her current role in the Division of Trauma at Massachusetts General Hospital, she initiated and manages a program of research in injury prevention with a particular focus on the impact of public health laws.

Register here!