Dr. Mark Scialdone is a recognized expert in the field of organic chemistry, specializing in natural product chemistry, including plant oil extraction, analysis, and chemical modification. He is an inventor of 37 issued US patents and has authored 17 peer-reviewed publications, during more than two decades of fundamental and product development research. He has given numerous invited lectures at more than 40 different academic institutions and international symposia. At CannMed 25, Mark particip...
Jul 09, 2025•55 min
Another CannMed Summit is in the books. To all of you who joined us in Puerto Rico this year, thank you for making it our best event yet! This year’s summit brought together clinicians, regulators, researchers, cultivators, patients, and entrepreneurs from more than a dozen countries. The enthusiasm and passion that they brought to the sessions and the networking events created an amazing environment for creating lasting connections. We can’t wait to see how those connections shape the future of...
Jun 25, 2025•3 min
Dr. Shiksha Gallow currently serves as the Medical Director of the Holistic Integrative Healing Institute and is notably the first and only South African to sit on the Board of Directors of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians. Dr. Gallow’s passion lies in leveraging her medical and scientific expertise to develop Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) from cannabis and other plant species to treat various conditions. She has achieved significant success in treating patients with autoimmune dise...
Jun 11, 2025•33 min
Morgan Keefer is the Senior Accreditation Officer at A2LA where she works with and assesses cannabis testing laboratories across the United States. Since joining A2LA, Morgan has presented about Laboratory Shopping, Proficiency Testing, and Microbial Testing in the cannabis industry at Cannabis Science Conference, A2LA's Annual Conference and PITTCON. At CannMed 25 she will present “Accredited Methods in Cannabis Testing” which will explore many of the challenges facing cannabis testing labs. Du...
May 28, 2025•50 min
Dr. Dustin Sulak is a traditional osteopathic physician and expert in integrative medicine. His clinical practice in Maine focuses on treating refractory conditions in adults and children. Dr. Sulak is an internationally-renowned expert in medical cannabis, the author of Handbook of Cannabis for Clinicians: Principles and Practice, and co-founder of Healer, a medical cannabis education resource and products company. He serves on the board of directors of The Society of Cannabis Clinicians and is...
May 14, 2025•38 min
Zamir Punja, PhD is a Professor of Plant Biotechnology at Simon Fraser University in Canada. His research interests include the etiology and management of plant diseases on vegetable and horticultural crops, and the applications of plant biotechnology for disease management. Since 2018, his work has shifted to researching cannabis, where his group has described a range of previously unreported pathogens affecting the crop and has evaluated various methods for disease management. At CannMed 25, Z...
Apr 30, 2025•40 min
Dr. Dedi Meiri is an Associate Professor at the Technion Institute where he heads the Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Cannabinoid Research. The lab investigates the vast therapeutic potential of secondary metabolites from cannabis and other herbs, algae, and psychedelic mushrooms; and reveals how these naturally occurring metabolites affect various types of cancer, inflammatory diseases, and disorders of the nervous system Dr. Meiri is also highly involved in governmental regulations and is a r...
Apr 16, 2025•40 min
Michael Petersen has over 38 years of experience as a researcher and mentor in both the private and public plant biotech space. He has over 50 issued patents and his work in plant transformation and gene expression is a passion. Mike has worked on many genetic engineering/editing contracts with entities across the globe, and he now focuses on innovative hemp research. At CannMed 25, Mike will share his team’s latest efforts to transform cannabis and hemp plants using gene editing and genetic eng...
Apr 02, 2025•36 min
Israel Gasperin is a visionary entrepreneur, engineering scientist and the founder of Zentrela, a company dedicated to transforming cannabis research through advanced neurotechnology and AI. Under Israel’s leadership, Zentrela developed the Psychoactive Effect Level (PEL) metric, an innovative EEG-based measure capable of objectively assessing cannabis products' psychoactive potency. By combining wearable EEG technology with AI-driven EEG analysis, the PEL metric provides cannabis producers, res...
Mar 19, 2025•46 min
Shawna Vreeke, PhD is Head of Research at True Terpenes, where she is instrumental in developing and maintaining the rigorous safety and quality protocols the brand is known for. Shawna is an active advocate for science-based safety parameters to protect consumer health and has worked with policymakers to implement sensible regulations to protect public health and maintain access to regulated cannabis products. She has multiple peer-reviewed papers on vape safety, and most recently, her work has...
Mar 05, 2025•34 min
Dr. Staci Gruber is the Director of the Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Core at McLean Hospital’s Brain Imaging Center and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Gruber launched Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) in 2014, the first ever program of its kind designed to clarify the long-term impact of medical cannabis use. MIND supports numerous projects that aim to address the impact of medical cannabis on a number of important variables...
Feb 19, 2025•47 min
Dr. Punya Nachappa is an Associate professor at Colorado State University in the Department of Agricultural Biology. Her research program focuses on understanding the interactions between plants and insect vectors to manage plant pests and diseases in hemp. At CannMed 25, Punya will present "Biology and Management of Hop Latent Viroid", which will describe the impact of HLVd on hemp yield and cannabinoids, explain how thrips and aphids transmit the viroid, and evaluate the efficacy of using chem...
Feb 05, 2025•42 min
Dr. Michelle Peace is an internationally recognized forensic toxicologist and a Full Professor in the Department of Forensic Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. The National Institute of Justice has funded her team to study the proliferation of semi-synthetic THC analogs in the unregulated market and define their relevant biomarkers. Her work impacts public health and public safety policies and initiatives. At CannMed 25 Michelle will present “Why Some People “Green Out”? The Analysis o...
Jan 22, 2025•49 min
Dr. Nicole Gauthier is a Professor and Extension specialist at the University of Kentucky. Her program focuses on disease management of specialty crops including fruits, vegetables, and hemp. In her Extension role, she develops educational and outreach programs to help growers manage disease through identification, understanding of pathosystems, and integration of management strategies. Her research program focuses on a range of hemp diseases, including Fusarium head blight, as well as stand est...
Dec 11, 2024•35 min
Ed Leclere and David McKillop have teamed up to create High Science, a new TV series premiering on YouTube TODAY November 27th featuring Medicinal Genomics and CannMed. David is an Emmy-award-winning producer with an impressive background in creating hit shows like Duck Dynasty and Pawn Stars. He brings his storytelling expertise to the cannabis space, teaming up with Ed Leclere to launch a show that’s as entertaining as it is informative. High Science promises to take viewers on a journey throu...
Nov 27, 2024•45 min
Kevelin Barbosa-Xavier is a PhD student in Plant Biotechnology at Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF) where she conducts research under the supervision of Thiago Motta Venancio. She is a computational biologist, investigating the genes and gene networks involved in plant secondary metabolic pathways and fiber production, specifically in the Cannabis sativa species. Kevelin and her team recently published a study titled Cannabis Expression Atlas: a comprehensive resourc...
Nov 13, 2024•25 min
Laura Barrett, MBA, BSN, RN, known as “Nurse Laura,” is the Founder and Executive Director of the National Clinical Director Consortium and the Owner and Operator of Ask Nurse Laura. She serves on the boards of several non-profits, including the Connor Sheffield Foundation. Nurse Laura is dedicated to educating individuals and groups about cannabis and psychedelic medicine options, whether in small settings or large conference auditoriums. Additionally, she is part of the teaching faculty at the...
Oct 30, 2024•46 min
With a BSc. in molecular biology and an MSc. in physiology, Liz has studied the human body through many lenses. The focus of her PhD program (Pharmacy) is to explore disorders that have directly impacted her life in the world of professional contact sports, and how cannabinoid products could potentially play a role in these. As a member of the clinical trial team that was recently awarded funding from the NFL to study cannabinoids in concussion and pain, she is excited to bring new data to the l...
Oct 16, 2024•55 min
Megan Mbengue is the revolutionary force behind Trusted Canna Nurse. With over 10 years of nursing experience in diverse fields like oncology, labor delivery, and hospice care, she brings a unique perspective to her practice. She also holds national certifications in three nursing specialties and a Master of Science degree in Medical Cannabis Therapeutics. Codi Peterson is the Chief Science Officer at The Cannigma and a practicing pharmacist with a passion for cannabis-based medicine. Given his ...
Oct 02, 2024•51 min
Justin Esquivel is CEO & Geneticist, Green Luster Phenos™ and has been an influencer and leader in the cannabis industry for 15 years. Esquivel was the head grower and geneticist of an indoor commercial-scale cultivation operation back in 2012. Justin has consulted with over 100 cannabis facilities, 72 of which operate commercial canopies. Esquivel provides home growers with pest and bacteria-resistant genetics in seed and breeders’ cut form on a global scale! He brings standard operating pr...
Sep 18, 2024•39 min
Dr. John Streicher is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology in the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona. He has built a long-term research program focused on finding improved treatments for pain. This has encompassed multiple approaches over the years, including testing cannabinoid and non-cannabinoid constituents of Cannabis sativa, identifying new ways to target opioid receptor signaling, and identifying new receptor targets in the body for pain relief. His lab works on bot...
Sep 04, 2024•33 min
Dr. Harold Han is Chief Science Officer and co-founder of Vertosa, and the pioneer in water compatible cannabinoid ingredients for infused products. Harold designed the industrial leading cannabis emulsions that are widely applied in the cannabis beverage brands. Harold holds 16 patents in emulsion applications, and prior to founding Vertosa, he led a team that developed the emulsification oil for Bio Rad’s Digital Droplet PCR system. Harold also publishes a regular series explaining the science...
Aug 21, 2024•46 min
Dr. Deb Kimless has been in the medical cannabis field since 2013 where her diverse involvement spans many areas including cannabis cultivation, processing, formulation, testing, patient care, and conducting research. She consults within the industry as an advisor for companies who are interested in novel formulations specific to medical conditions, develops protocols, obtains IRB approval, conducts clinical trials, and helps to publish the results. At CannMed 24, Deb presented a poster that sha...
Aug 07, 2024•45 min
David Aronson is a cannabis educator who since 2018 has directly educated more than 5,000 health professionals nationwide on the medical applications of cannabis. He is on the faculty for PESI, one of the nation's largest providers of professional continuing education, and he independently provides seminars for health professionals nationwide. I learned during our conversation that David also has post-treatment Lyme disease, which is a condition that causes fatigue, neuropathic pain, brain fog, ...
Jul 24, 2024•34 min
Zac has been involved in the cannabis industry since 2005. He has had experience with all kinds of growing environments. From outdoor plots in Northern California to warehouses throughout the United States, his journey has taken him to almost every corner of the country. Zac worked at some of the most reputable supply companies and cultivations before landing his job at BioSafe Systems. He is the National Cannabis Specialist for the company, a position that did not exist before Zac was hired. He...
Jul 10, 2024
We will be back with new episodes of the CannMed Coffee Talk Podcast next month! Please be patient as we recharge following the CannMed 24 Innovation and Investment Summit, and prepare for next year's event! Be sure to sign up for email alerts at CannMedEvents.com so you will receive notifications when we publish the CannMed 24 oral presentation videos and announce details for CannMed 25!
Jun 13, 2024•2 min
Dr. Shannon Smith received his PhD in molecular biosciences from Middle Tennessee State University. There his research focused on plant biotechnology, with work in Cannabis, Panax, and Vitis tissue culture and manipulation. This led to the development of new and unique technologies for the production of both plants and secondary metabolites. He later founded Greenway Lab, a plant biotech company that collaborates with agricultural partners to implement plant biotech solutions to botanical challe...
May 23, 2024•47 min
Tim Lefever is the Director of Discovery at Nalu Bio. He is an experienced Director with a demonstrated history of 20+ years of preclinical in vivo research and leading effective teams at organizations such as Canopy Growth and Research Triangle Institute. He has authored or co-authored numerous manuscripts and presented research findings at a variety of scientific conferences over the past 20 years. At CannMed 24, Tim will present "Characterization of Less Studied Cannabis Phytochemicals” which...
May 01, 2024•40 min
Dr. Kimberly Gwinn is a Professor of Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of Tennessee. Her lab currently investigates natural products that are produced by plants and microbes and their uses as medicines and as bio-pesticides. At CannMed 24 she will present Hemp Processing by-products as Biopesticides which describes her team’s work using terpene-rich industrial hemp by-products to control plant diseases and pests. We discuss: Why terpenes are effective biopesticides Which pathogens...
Apr 17, 2024•25 min
Megan Mbengue is the revolutionary force behind Trusted Canna Nurse. Recognizing a gap between elderly patients and cannabis, Megan sought to provide that demographic with the extra hand-holding and guidance they need to have the best possible experience. With over a decade of nursing experience in diverse fields like oncology, labor delivery, and hospice care, she brings a unique perspective to her practice. At CannMed 24 Megan will be participating in a Cannabis Nursing Panel and presenting a ...
Apr 03, 2024•40 min
