March 8th is International Women’s Day - a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
Filament Health is fortunate to have talented women working across all areas of our organization. To mark IWD, we asked each of them about their roles, and why they believe in the power of psychedelics:
Lisa Ranken, Chief Operating Officer
1. Please describe what you do at Filament Health.
As the COO at Filament, my role is broad and includes things like licensing, manufacturing and scale up (including the exciting world of controlled substances handling!), raw material sourcing, health and safety, HR, new markets and most importantly, I get to work closely with physicians and researchers to supply the Special Access Program and clinical trials around the world.
2. What are you most proud of regarding your work at Filament?
That is a hard question! I am extremely proud of the team we have at Filament and the work we do supplying patients with our drug candidate via the SAP. The positive impact our work can have on people's lives, their families and their communities is very meaningful to me.
3. Why do you believe in the healing potential of psychedelics?
I believe in the healing potential of psychedelics because these plant medicines have existed and been used by humans for thousands of years for the treatment of many indications. We've also seen the positive impact on patients who have taken our natural psilocybin through the SAP, and heard incredible stories of healing from practitioners, like those shared by Dr. Valorie Masuda. With the proper set and setting, there is evidence that psychedelics have the ability to change a person's state of mind and overall quality of life. Their healing potential is something that we desperately need in the world right now.
Sara Burke, Head of Global Partnerships
1. Please describe what you do at Filament Health.
I help Filament's story reach its target audiences via partnerships with aligned organizations and marketing and communications efforts.
2. What are you most proud of regarding your work at Filament?
I'm proud to help more people learn about the potential of psychedelic drugs and to contribute to the growth of a worthy organization. I'm proud to be part of a team that is on a mission to address the global mental health care crisis and is doing so in a way that stays true to its DNA.
3. Why do you believe in the healing potential of psychedelics?
I've seen the changes and the perspective shifts that psychedelics can offer firsthand. So often, when I hear a story about an individual's psychedelic experience I'm moved by the richness of the description and the level of impact that experience can have. Of course, it helps that research supports this healing potential – but when we know existing treatments aren't working for many people, how can we not look to provide new options?
Beatriz Ramos, Quality Director
1. Please describe what you do at Filament Health.
As Quality Director, I develop and oversee quality systems that meet regulatory requirements to manufacture safe, standardized and pharmaceutical-grade products.
2. What are you most proud of regarding your work at Filament?
Offering our products for clinical research in Canada, US, and Europe has been no easy feat. I feel incredibly proud to be setting a high bar for the natural psychedelics industry and to be able to offer our products to patients via the SAP and to researchers worldwide.
3. Why do you believe in the healing potential of psychedelics?
Natural psychedelics have been known to offer meaningful and spiritual insight beyond creating an altered state of consciousness by indigenous communities around the world for hundreds of years. The evidence of the therapeutic potential is rapidly increasing as more researchers study psychedelics in clinical settings. I believe in the wisdom held by our ancestors and hope we can get back to our roots to help those in need.
Anna Cordon, Director of Communications
1. Please describe what you do at Filament Health.
I oversee all things marketing and communications – it’s my job to manage how Filament Health shows up externally, and how we communicate our progress to the world.
2. What are you most proud of regarding your work at Filament?
At a high level, I’m proud to be part of a company where our ultimate goal is to help millions of people suffering from treatable conditions. More directly, I consider myself both a translator and a “hype man” for the Filament team. The work we do is complex, and the language we use is often highly nuanced – it can be difficult for laymen to understand. It’s up to me to ensure that our incredible innovations, and the potential benefits they offer the world, are made clear to the public. It’s gratifying to see Filament’s profile growing as a result.
3. Why do you believe in the healing potential of psychedelics?
Because we already know that they work – the anecdotal experiences of thousands (maybe millions) of people over millennia have demonstrated that psychedelics can help people. Furthermore, the positive results we’re seeing from modern psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, and the lack of negative effects compared with traditional mental health treatments, mean that we can’t afford to ignore psychedelics’ potential.
