PRS27 Announces First Speakers for 2027 Melbourne Symposium

Academic researchers, clinicians, healthcare entrepreneurs and investors feature in the first announcement for Melbourne’s psychedelic medicine symposium, with major keynote and sponsor announcements to follow.

The PRS27 Psychedelic Roundtable Symposium has announced its inaugural speaker line-up ahead of its Melbourne gathering on 19–20 March 2027, bringing together clinicians, researchers, industry leaders and investors working across the scientific, therapeutic and commercial dimensions of psychedelic medicine.

PRS27 is presented by Psychedelics.media, its official media partner, and is being developed as a business-meets-science symposium for Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

The first speakers announced represent a cross-section of the sector, spanning academic psychiatry, psychedelic-assisted therapy, addiction medicine, neuroscience, biotechnology, healthcare technology and men’s mental health advocacy.

The line-up includes Professor Paul Fitzgerald, Head of the School of Medicine and Psychology at the Australian National University; Associate Professor Bernadette Fitzgibbon, Director of Psychiatry Research at Paratus Clinical; Associate Professor Anne Yee, Consultant Addiction Psychiatrist at Monash University Malaysia; and Dr Julian Dodemaide, forensic psychiatrist and TGA Authorised Prescriber at Forest Medicine.

They will be joined by Dr Chris Corney, physician, investor and CEO of MINDR; Dr Mitchell McKean, physician, investor and Chief Medical Officer of MINDR; Sabba Nazhand, Co-Founder and CEO of Safar; Tony “Jack the Bear” Mantz, Australian men’s mental health advocate; Karin Hauser, biotechnology and molecular biology specialist at Natural Medtech; and Gary Mackenzie, healthcare entrepreneur and investor, Editor of Psychedelics.media and Executive Producer of PRS27.

This is the first stage of the PRS27 announcement programme. Further keynote speakers, major sponsors and industry partners will be announced in the coming weeks.

Connecting research, clinical practice and investment

Psychedelic medicine sits at the intersection of neuroscience, psychiatry, pharmaceutical development and specialist mental healthcare. Turning scientific progress into real-world treatment pathways requires coordination across disciplines, from clinical research and regulatory oversight to practitioner training, technology, investment and healthcare delivery.

PRS27 aims to bring these perspectives together in a programme focused on the practical realities of advancing the field.

The symposium will address psychedelic-assisted therapy, clinical research, addiction medicine, practitioner education, biotechnology, regulatory pathways, digital health, healthcare delivery, investment, commercialisation, ethics and governance.

For clinicians and researchers, the event will provide a forum to examine the evidence, challenges and practical considerations involved in developing emerging treatments. For companies and investors, it will create opportunities to discuss partnerships, market development and the infrastructure needed to support a developing therapeutic sector.

Australia’s evolving role in psychedelic medicine

Australia provides an important setting for discussions about the development and regulation of psychedelic-assisted therapies.

Since 1 July 2023, eligible psychiatrists have been able to prescribe unapproved medicines containing psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression and MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder under the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s Authorised Prescriber framework, subject to specific authorisation, approval and clinical requirements.

The framework does not constitute general approval for unrestricted use. Access remains subject to defined conditions and regulatory safeguards.

These arrangements have created a practical setting in which questions surrounding clinical governance, practitioner competency, treatment protocols, patient access and service delivery can be examined.

PRS27 will bring Australian and international participants together to consider these issues alongside developments in research, healthcare technology and commercial investment across the Asia-Pacific region.

The business of psychedelic medicine

Scientific progress alone will not determine the future of psychedelic medicine. Development programmes must navigate clinical evidence, regulation, intellectual property, manufacturing, workforce requirements and the economics of delivering treatment.

For emerging companies, investment and strategic partnerships can be critical to advancing research and establishing sustainable operations. Investors must assess clinical evidence, development risks, capital requirements and potential routes to market, while healthcare providers consider how emerging treatments can be incorporated into appropriate services.

PRS27 will examine these commercial realities alongside the clinical and scientific questions shaping the field, encouraging dialogue between the people developing treatments, delivering care and financing innovation.

The symposium is inviting organisations across pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, mental healthcare, clinical research, healthcare technology, insurance and investment to participate as sponsors and industry partners.

More announcements to come

The inaugural speaker line-up is the first milestone in the development of PRS27.

Further keynote speakers, major sponsors and industry partners will be announced in the coming weeks, expanding the breadth of expertise and organisations represented at the symposium.

The programme is being developed to encourage meaningful engagement between researchers, practitioners, healthcare businesses and investors, with a focus on the science, clinical practice and commercial opportunities shaping psychedelic medicine.

A meeting point for the sector

Gary Mackenzie, Executive Producer of PRS27, Editor of Psychedelics.media and an investor, said the symposium was being developed to encourage greater engagement between the scientific, clinical and commercial sides of the industry.

“Psychedelic medicine sits at the intersection of scientific research, clinical practice, healthcare delivery and business. Advancing the field requires these groups to understand one another and find practical ways to work together.

“PRS27 is being developed to create that opportunity, bringing different perspectives into the same room and encouraging the relationships and conversations that can help move the sector forward.”