Dr Simon Ruffell is a psychiatrist, ayahuasca researcher, and student of curanderismo.
Since 2015 Dr Ruffell has been working closely with Indigenous communities in the Amazon basin, exploring the effects of the traditional psychedelic brew ayahuasca and the role of ceremony and spirit in healing.
Dr Ruffell’s work encompasses two paradigms: the spiritual and the scientific. He is committed to working alongside the Shipibo-Konibo people to translate knowledge of Amazonian plant medicines, where possible, into scientific data and terminology whilst ensuring traditions are respected.
Dr Simon Ruffell’s Background
After qualifying as an MD, Dr Ruffell completed his core psychiatric training at The Maudsley Hospital in London. Dr Ruffell has worked on several major psychedelics trials - as a Senior Research Associate on King’s College London’s psilocybin trial for treatment resistant depression and as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Research Fellow at the Psychae Institute (and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne) investigating the potential application of botanical ayahuasca analogues.
Dr Ruffell is CEO of Onaya and co-founded the not-for-profit Onaya Science, researching the effects of ayahuasca in naturalistic Amazonian settings in collaboration with universities, charities, and think tanks worldwide.
He completed his PhD entitled Amazonian Ayahuasca and Mental Health Outcomes and is currently training in Shipibo curanderismo (shamanism) under Keyo Sui Rono and Don Rono Lopez.
“We can recognise the knowledge systems of Indigenous peoples as well as that of biomedical science. By valuing diversity in our ways of understanding the world we can move away from comparing paradigms and toward their equal consideration and regard.”