Director
Fadel Zeidan, PhD | Contact
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Laboratory Director, Dr. Fadel Zeidan, is a Professor of Anesthesiology at UC San Diego's Center for Pain Medicine. Fadel is a Co-Founder and Neuroscience Director of the newly formed UCSD Center for Psychedelic Research. He is also an Endowed Professor of Compassion Research at the T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion. Fadel is also a Co-Founder and Executive Committee member of the International Society for Contemplative Research. His research is focused on determining the active mechanisms that mediate the relationship between self-regulatory practices and health. In particular, Fadel's research examines the neural mechanisms supporting the modulation of pain and health by mindfulness meditation and placebo. He is also dedicated to understanding how psychedelics like psilocybin, DMT and cannabis impact pain-related behavioral and neural processes. His research program has recently expanded to appreciate how empathy and compassion can be cultivated through self-regulatory practices and psychedelic therapies. His work has also been featured in traditional media outreach (CNN; NPR; Time Magazine, CBS and others), Tedx and personally presented his work to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama in Mongolia. Fadel was also awarded the 2014 National Institutes of Health Mitchell Max Award for Research Excellence. Fadel's free time is consumed with quality hang time with his family, ideally swimming in the Pacific Ocean and eating his way through San Diego.
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Clinical Trial Program Manager
Yasmeen Esshaki
Yasmeen is a native San Diegan who earned a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of San Diego and a M.A. in Medical Anthropology from Creighton University. Yasmeen has worked in clinical research for ten years, serving as a Project Manager or Primary Coordinator on over 100 clinical trials. Her expertise is in conducting and managing clinical trials in compliance with the study protocol, IRB, ICH/GCP, and FDA. She has worked on Phase I - IV industry, government, and privately funded clinical trials in a range of medical specialties and disease types. As a Clinical Trial Program Manager for the Zeidan Lab, Yasmeen manages several research studies/clinical trials to ensure study activity is conducted in accordance with corresponding governing bodies and deliverable are met on time and within budget. On her spare time, Yasmeen loves to travel and experience other cultures and traditions, food, language, architecture, etc. She also owns a charcuterie business, Across The Board - born out of her love for food, cooking, and culture. She enjoys intimate concert venues, loves being in the mountains, and spending time with the people she loves.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Chafic Abboud, MDChafic is a medical doctor who earned his M.D. in Lebanon. After medical school, he decided to explore research before pursuing residency training in psychiatry. His research journey began at the American University of Beirut, where he worked on projects related to geriatric psychiatry, before moving to the United States in 2024. Chafic then completed two years of postdoctoral research at the University of Rochester, where he studied chronic pain and depression and gained experience in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and neuroimaging analysis.
He joined the Zeidan Lab in 2026 to continue studying pain through research on psychedelics and mindfulness meditation. He is interested in how these approaches influence pain, emotion, and the human mind. This work will help prepare him for psychiatry residency with a stronger background in clinical neuroscience, pain, and psychoactive substances. Outside of work, Chafic enjoys creating Middle Eastern fusion recipes, trying foods from different cultures, biking, watching sunsets at the beach, photographing scenic views, and learning more about elephants. |
Morgan Gianola, PhDMorgan received a B.A. in neuroscience and Spanish before beginning graduate training in the Social and Cultural Neuroscience Lab at the University of Miami. His PhD research investigated differences in the perceptual and neural processing of pain in English and Spanish contexts among healthy Hispanic/Latino bilinguals. After obtaining his PhD in cognitive neuroscience in 2022, he began work as a Postdoctoral Scholar for Behavioral Medicine Research in Cardiovascular Diseases, investigating the roles played by language and culture in health behaviors and disease prevalence in participants of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Morgan joined the Zeidan lab as a postdoctoral scholar in 2024 to transition into clinical research focused on addressing chronic pain through psychedelic therapy and meditative training. Morgan is broadly interested in how perception and well-being are influenced by neurobiological, psychological, and cultural processes and addressing health disparities through the lens of cultural neuroscience.
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Research Associates
Madelynn Meredith | Research Laboratory Associate
Maddy grew up in southern California before moving to Nebraska to complete her B.S. in Biology at Doane University. She then performed Cognitive Neuroscience research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. There she used fMRI to study the brain networks involved in anxiety in individuals recovering from alcohol use disorder. She is interested in investigating novel treatments to alleviate suffering assciated with mental and physical chronic illnesses. In her free time Maddy goes for walks with her siberian husky, crochets and makes sure to enjoy the California weather.
Research Volunteers
Greg Perello
Greg received his BS in neuroscience at ASU and is planning to pursue a PhD in cognitive science. His interest in studying cognition rests on playing with the idea of "putting consciousness on a graph." While he is fascinated with the ethereal realms of meditation, psychedelics, and spirituality, his focus is to develop empirically sound frameworks through which they can be understood in a rationally grounded way. Before pursuing academia, he played semi-professionally in a death metal band for 10 years, taught krav maga and guitar, and studied history and politics.
Shuaa Juhdi
Shuaa is a 3rd year undergraduate student, studying Human Biology in the University of California: San Diego. After completing his undergrad at UCSD, he hopes to go to medical school and pursue surgery. His goal is to shed light on underrepresented communities and get them equal access and care in the medical field. In his free time, Shuaa enjoys video games, weight training, soccer, and socializing with friends and family.
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Jeff Best
Jeffrey Best is a University of San Diego graduate with a BA in psychology. He has previously studied the effects of psilocybin on depression and is currently pursuing a career in research. In the future, he hopes to use psychedelic research to create more effective treatments for various mental health disorders. In his free time, Jeff enjoys running, skating, and playing pickle ball.
Saba Taheri
Saba Taheri is an undergraduate student at UC San Diego majoring in General Biology, with a passion for medicine and clinical research. Her interests lie in anesthesia and pain medicine, particularly in how neuroscience, mindfulness, and neurobiology influence pain perception and patient care. Outside academics, she enjoys playing piano, playing basketball with her team, and figure skating!
Stephanie Fox
Stephanie Fox graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she received a BA in Psychology. She has a passion for understanding how diverse populations of people are holistically affected by systemic challenges posed by society, and how alternative modes of intervention can better benefit those who are struggling. She believes doing research and generating knowledge is a valuable and empowering contribution to public health. She is currently working with infants experiencing developmental delays as a Child Development Specialist. For her future plans, Steph is focused on her pursuit of a PhD in social psychology or Cognitive Science in hopes to participate in research that contributes to a better understanding of how vulnerable populations are affected by systemic challenges, and how we as a society might overcome.
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