President & Chief Science Officer

Dr. Heinzerling is a physician board certified in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine and Director of the Treatment & Research in Psychedelics (TRIP) Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute (PNI) in Santa Monica. Prior to joining PNI, Keith was a physician and faculty researcher at UCLA with 20 years of experience as a clinical researcher and doing clinical trials. He is a nationally recognized and published expert in Addiction Medicine and Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy. As TRIP Program director since 2019, working with Karina Sergi LMFT, Micah Linton, PsyD and Daniel Kelly MD, Dr. Heinzerling has been Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator for clinical trials of psilocybin and LSD with upcoming trials of 5-MeO-DMT, LSD, psilocybin and psilocyin analogues starting soon. 

In 2020, Dr. Heinzerling completed the Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research at California Institute of Integral Studies. He has guided patient treatment sessions with psilocybin and LSD and completed or supervised over 500 ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions with patients. As the lead physician on the psychedelic therapy team, his priority is to maximize safety and minimize potential risks for patients undergoing psychedelic-assisted therapy. 

Dr. Heinzerling grew up in the Angeles National Forest. He graduated from Stanford University in 1992 and Stanford University School of Medicine 1998. He completed his  residency in Internal Medicine at NYU and Bellevue Hospital in 2002, before returning to California to study and work at UCLA where he did fellowship training, obtained his MPH in 2004, Integrated Substance Use and Addiction Programs in 2007 and was Medical Director, UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine from 2012-2017 and an Associate Professor, UCLA Department Family Medicine until 2019 when he joined PNI as Director of the TRIP Program. 

His motivation in co-founding PSI is to help bring psychedelic-assisted therapy into mainstream mental health and addiction medicine treatment paradigms, to advance the neurosciences through the neuroplastogenic potential of psychedelics and to ultimately help patients connect with themselves, others, and the planet.

Chief Clinical Officer

Karina Sergi is a licensed psychotherapist, educator, and researcher. For 20 years she has provided psychotherapy to individuals, couples, and families in a variety of settings including hospital, university, non-profit, private practice, and clinical research. She has completed extensive training in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies including the Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research at California Institute of Integral Studies in 2019, as well as training from MAPS (in MDMA), Ketamine Training Center and Polaris Insight Center (ketamine), Usona Institute (psilocybin), MindMed (LSD), and Fluence (5-MEO-DMT). Karina was chosen to participate in the first of their kind clinical trainings combining Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy and Psychedelic Psychotherapy. She received a B.A. in Psychology from CSUN 2006, and an M.S. in Counseling from CSUN in 2009. 

Karina is currently Director of TRIP Psychedelic Therapy Training & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Pacific Neuroscience Institute where she facilitates psychedelic medicine sessions and trains and supervises therapists delivering Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. Karina works with the California Institute of Integral Studies and Beckley Academy to instruct the next generation of psychedelic-assisted facilitators in the foundations of safe, effective, and ethical care. She has a dedicated interest in Afro-Syncretic and Latin American indigenous and ceremonial healing practices involving ayahuasca and psilocybin as spiritual sacraments. Karina maintains a private practice in Los Angeles focused on treating depression, anxiety, codependency, intergenerational and religious trauma. Her warmth, compassion, and dedication to patient care guide her therapeutic approach, which has allowed her to successfully support hundreds of people on their path to mental health and back to their true Self. 

Her motivation in co-founding PSI is to help expand availability of approved psychedelic-assisted therapies to populations in need and to advance the field of psychedelic medicine through education and training.

Chief Innovation Officer

Micah Linton, PsyD, is currently the Lead Facilitator at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute (PNI) TRIP Center and serves as a co-investigator on clinical trials at the TRIP Center. He completed the Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research at California Institute of Integral Studies in 2018 and has extensive expertise in immersive virtual reality and its potential applications in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Micah earned his Master’s in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University in 2014 and his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Ryokan College in 2017. He has completed multiple post-doctoral trainings and certifications, including in Internal Family Systems (IFS), Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), and Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT). He also holds a degree from Savannah College of Art and Design, graduating in 1995.

Micah’s motivation in co-founding PSI is to help the fields of psychology, psychiatry and the neurosciences better care for patients with innovative, more effective and durable therapies using the healing and neuroplastogenic potential of psychedelic medicines. 

Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Daniel Kelly has been a practicing neurosurgeon and neuroscientist for over 30 years, and director and one of four founders of Pacific Neuroscience Institute (PNI), a multispecialty neuroscience group.  He directs the Pacific Brain Tumor and Pituitary Disorders Centers at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, is Professor of Neurosurgery at Saint John's Cancer Institute and has served as President and CEO of PNI Foundation since its inception in 2015. 

He is considered a world leader in advancing minimally invasive and endoscopic neurosurgery for brain tumors. He has authored over 150 peer-reviewed publications and has a long-standing commitment to research and education in the clinical neurosciences. 

Over the last 6 years, his focus has increasingly shifted toward advancing effective treatments for mental health and neurocognitive disorders. He was the creative force behind the development of the PNI Brain Health Center in 2018 and the Treatment & Research in Psychedelics (TRIP) Center established in 2019. In 2021, he completed the Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research at California Institute of Integral Studies. 

Dr. Kelly graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 1982 and from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1986. He completed neurosurgical training at George Washington University in 1993 and then joined the UCLA Division of Neurosurgery for 14 years until 2007 when he joined Saint John’s Health Center to develop a neuro-oncology and neuroscience program focused on brain tumors.

Under Dr. Kelly’s leadership, PNI has expanded in size and scope. In 2024, the PNI Medical Group and PNI Foundation employ over 50 faculty members spanning a dozen subspecialties across 11 Centers of Excellence and 4 healthcare facilities within Providence Health. In 2023, the PNI faculty had over 69,000 clinic visits, performed over 2800 surgical procedures and over 1300 neurointerventional procedures, published over 40 peer-reviewed publications and enrolled patients in over a dozen clinical trials.  

Dr. Kelly has a long track record as a teambuilder and innovator in the delivery of multidisciplinary neuroscience and mental healthcare. He brings a unique experience of creating cutting-edge clinical care and research programs that thrive beyond the traditional confines of academia. He is now applying his experience and knowledge of this privademic model to the creation of the Psychedelic Science Institute.

Business Strategy Consultant

Greg Kearns is a health care strategist who has dedicated the past five years of his career to deeply studying and working full time in the emerging sector of psychedelic assisted therapies. Since founding his advisory firm, Forth Road Health, in 2019, Greg has offered consultation services to various organizations working to develop the infrastructure necessary for the successful integration of psychedelic medicines into the US health care system. He also previously worked for a year as the Director of Strategy and Working Groups for the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative (PSFC). Greg is proud to serve as the Chair of the Board and Interim Executive Director for Alchemy Community Therapy Center in Oakland, California.

Prior to entering the field of psychedelic assisted therapy, Greg spent 16 years developing expertise in operations, strategy, clinician relationships and community partnerships to drive strategic growth across the continuum of large, fully integrated, multi-channel health care systems. He previously served as Vice President of Strategic Planning, Business Development, and Innovation at Bon Secours Health System. Greg received his BS in Biology from Spring Hill College and his Master of Health Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Greg’s motivation in supporting the PSI team is to help be on the leading edge of innovation in navigating and integrating psychedelic-assisted therapies into the broader behavioral health care system with access and affordability as top priorities.