Meet Daniel Kelly, MD:
Dr. Daniel Kelly is a neurosurgeon, educator, and clinical innovator who leads the Psychedelic Science Institute (PSI) in its mission of advancing the development of safe and effective psychedelic-assisted therapies. With over 30 years of experience in the clinical neurosciences and multidisciplinary care, he now applies his expertise to help transform mental health care and the neurosciences through PSI’s TRIP Clinics and the nonprofit Psychedelic Innovation Fund.
About Dr. Kelly
- Dr. Kelly co-founded the Pacific Neuroscience Institute (PNI) in 2015 in Santa Monica, CA, where he still serves as Director. Over this time, he led the development of multiple PNI Centers of Excellence including focus areas such as brain tumors, pituitary disorders, and stroke.
- He was the driving force behind the creation of the PNI Brain Health Center in 2018 and the Treatment & Research in Psychedelics (TRIP) Center in 2019, one of the nation’s earliest clinical research programs focused on psychedelic-assisted therapies outside of traditional academics.
- Under his leadership, PNI has grown to include over 50 clinicians across 11 Centers of Excellence and 4 hospitals within Providence Health.
- The PNI Foundation has been the recipient of over $60 million in philanthropy. PNI is a thriving model for integrating philanthropy, clinical innovation and research, principles that guide the vision of PSI.
Background & Education
- Dr. Kelly earned his undergraduate degree at Claremont McKenna College and completed medical school at Georgetown University.
- He completed his neurosurgery residency training at George Washington University in 1993, then served on faculty at UCLA for 14 years before joining Saint John’s Health Center in 2007, where he continues to maintain an active neurosurgical practice focused in minimally invasive brain tumor care.
- In 2021, Dr. Kelly completed the Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).
- Over 3 decades, he has led or participated in dozens of clinical trials and research studies focused on minimally invasive brain tumor treatments, pituitary hormonal health, TBI, stroke, dementia, depression, and psychedelic-assisted therapies. He has authored over 160 peer-reviewed publications and has a long-standing commitment to education, fellowship training and advancing the clinical neurosciences.
Role at PSI
At PSI, Dr. Kelly oversees strategy, partnerships, and clinical development, drawing on his deep background in neuroscience and patient-centered innovation. He serves as a co-investigator on psychedelic clinical trials and occasionally supports dosing sessions in psychedelic-assisted therapy clinical trials. His work reflects a lifelong dedication to reducing human suffering, improving quality of life and expanding access to transformative mental health and neuroscience care.
Research & Publications
Peer-reviewed Publications in Psychedelic-assisted Therapy:
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