Charles Grob, M.D.
Child Psychiatrist; Palliative Care Psilocybin Pioneer; UCLA
Psychiatrist who conducted the first modern study of psilocybin in cancer patients — a pilot at Harbor-UCLA in 2011 that preceded the Hopkins and NYU landmark studies and established feasibility of this use.
Biography
Charles Grob is a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA's Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He was one of the earliest researchers to return to psilocybin research in the modern era.
In 2011, he published a pilot study in the Archives of General Psychiatry — 'Pilot Study of Psilocybin Treatment for Anxiety in Patients with Advanced-Stage Cancer' — with 12 patients. While small and without a control group, this was the first modern study to systematically examine psilocybin's effect on existential anxiety in terminal illness. It showed meaningful anxiety reduction and tolerability, and provided the safety and feasibility data that enabled the Hopkins and NYU 2016 landmark studies.
Grob has also conducted extensive work on ayahuasca, including studies with the Brazilian Santo Daime church, and has been involved in MAPS research. He has been a consistent voice for rigorous research methodology and ethical conduct in the psychedelic therapy field.
His foundational palliative care work positioned him as one of the field's elder statesmen before the renaissance accelerated.
Organizations
Why They Matter to the LearnShrooms Community
Grob's 2011 cancer anxiety pilot was the proof-of-concept study that enabled the larger Hopkins and NYU studies. Without it, the funding and IRB approval for the 2016 studies would have faced higher barriers. He established feasibility in this population when no modern data existed.
Legal Context
For the legal landscape where Charles Grob, M.D. operates, see psilocybin laws in California.