Dr. JULIANA MENDES ROCHA

 Dr. Juliana Mendes Rocha is a Brazilian psychiatric nurse and clinical researcher specializing in psychedelic science and innovative mental-health interventions. She holds a Master’s and PhD in Mental Health from the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP) and was the first nurse globally to receive formal academic training in clinical psychedelic studies through the Phantastica Lab.

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With over 10 years of experience in psychopharmacological clinical research, Juliana has worked with ayahuasca, ibogaine, ketamine, and cannabidiol. She led the world’s first clinical trial investigating ibogaine-assisted treatment for alcohol use disorder and completed a doctoral research fellowship at URV/ICEERS (Spain). She has multiple publications in the area and was recognized by Expertscape (2023–2025) for her expertise in Banisteriopsis caapi.

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As a psychiatric and mental-health nurse, Juliana brings extensive experience in inpatient care, harm reduction, and psychosocial support. She has also worked as a professor and instructor in technical, undergraduate, and postgraduate nursing and medical programs in Brazil, with a strong focus on mental health, psychiatry, and biopsychosocial care. She is an advocate for community-based mental-health care, patient-centered practices, and the strengthening of public health policies to expand access to mental health care.

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Juliana is currently a Postdoctoral Scholar with the CAN-PACT Psychedelics Research Team at the University of Calgary.

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Focus areas:

• Psychedelic-assisted therapy

• Psychopharmacological Clinical research

• Psychiatric and mental-health nursing

• Harm reduction and psychosocial care

• Psychoeducation and clinician training

• Patient-centered and community-based mental-health models

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Why CAN-PACT 

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Dr. Rocha aims to advance evidence-based psychedelic-assisted care in oncology by integrating her nursing background with her clinical research expertise. Through CAN-PACT, she is particularly interested in strengthening psychoeducation, supporting interdisciplinary clinician training, and contributing to safe, holistic, and accessible mental-health strategies for patients and families affected by cancer.