Joseph Sarris
Professor of Integrative Mental Health
Papers
Trials
Key Impact
A leading researcher in clinical and epidemiological studies of ayahuasca and related tryptamine formulations, notable for combining large-scale naturalistic surveys with biomarker and translational investigations into therapeutic mechanisms and safety.
Background & Research
Professor Joseph Sarris is an academic clinician specialising in integrative approaches to mental health, with a sustained research focus on psychedelic substances—particularly ayahuasca—and their psychiatric and neurobiological effects. He has led and contributed to multiple large international cross-sectional surveys examining patterns of ayahuasca use, context and setting influences, and adverse effect profiles, and has extended this epidemiological work into translational studies that probe biological mechanisms underlying clinical effects.
His recent work, as reflected in collaborative projects, includes studies linking changes in inflammatory biomarkers to the antidepressant effects of ayahuasca, exploratory clinical pharmacology investigations of oral DMT and harmala alkaloid formulations, and analyses of how naturalistic use relates to current alcohol and other drug use. Across these projects he has emphasised safety, set-and-setting considerations, and rigorous measurement of both subjective outcomes and objective biomarkers, contributing to a nuanced evidence base for the therapeutic potential and risks of ayahuasca and related compounds.