Dr. Siegel received a BA in Philosophy, Neuroscience and Psychology from Washington University, completed an MD & PhD in systems neuroscience in WUSM’s Physician Scientist Training Program and completed residency in Psychiatry. He joined the WUSM Department of Psychiatry faculty in July 2022. Dr. Siegel has 13 years experience in neuroscience and has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles in the fields of neuroimaging and neuropsychopharmacology.
During psychiatry residency, Dr. Siegel initiated Missouri’s first
human psychedelics research, using precision functional mapping to study
how psilocybin alters brain networks. In addition to conceiving and designing this
research program, he served as a psychedelic ‘facilitator’, completing training
with Usona Institute in Madison WI. He was selected to be among 12 US recipients of the
NIMH Outstanding Resident Award in 2020.
His research focuses on using human neuroimaging to understand ketamine, psilocybin, and similar molecules that rapidly stimulate homeostatic plasticity. The central goal is to understand the link between neurotrophic stimulation, brain networks, mood and human behavior. In addition to founding WU’s Program in Psychedelics Research**, he has serves as Deputy Editor at the Journal of Psychedelic Psychiatry, created a graduate course “Mechanisms of Rapid Antidepressants”, founded the WU Rapid Antidepressants Journal Club, and served on the advisory board for psychedelics startups.
**with generous support from the Department of Psychiatry,
Usona Institute, the Taylor Family Institute Fund for Innovative Psychiatric
Research, the McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience, and Ginger Nicol and
the Healthy Mind Lab