Tali Avron

Tali Avron is a Clinical Research Manager and psychedelic science consultant with over a decade of experience in clinical trials, regulatory strategy, and study operations. She previously served as Clinical Trials Manager for MAPS Europe, overseeing MDMA-assisted therapy trials across multiple European sites. Tali has also worked extensively in medical cannabis research and policy, leading clinical operations for studies on cannabinoid therapies in both commercial and academic settings.

Currently, she is involved in several projects focused on women’s experiences with psychedelics, including producing the first-ever Women in Psychedelics conference in Israel, leading a naturalistic psilocybin study in ceremonial contexts, and developing a gender-informed psychedelic knowledge base. A passionate psychonaut and experienced space holder, she volunteers with harm-reduction organizations at festivals and retreats. Tali is a founding member of the Psychedelic Women Network and is committed to advancing

Women and Psychedelics: The Research Gap and Why It Matters

Psychedelic research is expanding rapidly, but women’s unique biology and lived experience remain largely overlooked. This talk explores the concept of “biological setting” - how hormonal cycles, life stages such as perimenopause and menopause, and sex-specific pharmacology shape psychedelic experiences and therapeutic outcomes. We will look at how ignoring these factors risks designing treatments that are less effective or even harmful, and why including them is essential for safer, more equitable psychedelic medicine. Social and cultural influences on women’s set and setting will also be addressed, emphasizing the need for supportive, gender-aware environments. Finally, this session is a call to action: to design studies that consider menstrual cycles and hormonal states, recruit inclusively across life stages, and integrate women’s perspectives into every level of psychedelic research and practice.