Amy Emerson

CEO of MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) / former Director of Clinical Research at MAPS

Data updated

Papers

17 publications

Trials

0 clinical trials

Links

Research Footprint

Amy Emerson appears in 17 tracked papers (2014–2024), most studied alongside MDMA and Placebo, across PTSD, Safety & Risk Management and Depressive Disorders.

Most-cited paper: MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study (942 citations).

Frequent co-authors: Berra Yazar-Klosinski, Rick Doblin and Michael Mithoefer.

Background & Research

Amy Emerson is a clinical researcher specialising in clinical trials of psychedelic‑assisted psychotherapy with a particular focus on MDMA‑assisted interventions for post‑traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She has served as a co‑investigator and author on multiple phase 2 randomised, double‑blind trials that evaluated dose‑response effects and clinical outcomes in populations such as military veterans, firefighters and police officers, and has contributed to pooled longitudinal analyses of these trials to characterise durability of change.

Her work spans clinical outcome research and translational neuroscience, including studies that examine altered brain activity and functional connectivity following MDMA‑assisted therapy. Emerson has also been involved in pilot research exploring MDMA‑assisted therapy for anxiety and psychological distress related to life‑threatening illness, and in the study design and rationale that informed subsequent phase 3 trials. Across these projects she has contributed to methodological developments in safety assessment, suicidality measurement, and long‑term follow‑up, and to interdisciplinary collaborations that bridge clinical psychiatry, psychotherapy research and neuroimaging.

Affiliations

Institutions, companies, and organisations Amy Emerson is associated with.

MAPS

nonprofit

MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and educational organization founded in 1986. It works nationally and with a broader global audience to develop medical, legal, and cultural contexts for the careful use of psychedelics and marijuana. Its core activities include research, education, advocacy, and convening the field through large public events. In psychedelic medicine and policy, MAPS positions itself as an advocate for legal access, drug policy reform, harm reduction, and health equity. Its Policy & Advocacy work includes legislative advocacy, community organizing, and impact litigation, and it has also launched work on access for system-impacted people and broader health equity in the legal psychedelic ecosystem. Current documented initiatives include the Psychedelic Science conference series, the Health Equity Program, The Zendo Project, and Ask MAPS, which handles public inquiries about therapy, research, and policy reform.

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Resilient Pharmaceuticals

biotech

Resilient Pharmaceuticals (formerly Lykos Therapeutics, formerly MAPS PBC) is a US-based public benefit corporation developing MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. It was founded in 2014 by MAPS as a commercial spinout to carry MAPS MDMA research through late-stage trials and regulatory approval. After two Phase 3 trials and an NDA filing, FDA issued a Complete Response Letter in August 2024 and requested an additional Phase 3 trial before approval. The company subsequently restructured and rebranded, while the public Lykos web presence continues to describe the organisation as pursuing FDA approval for MDMA-assisted therapy. As of the June 2026 review, no public company announcement of a new pivotal trial start or NDA resubmission date was found. VA/DoD-backed MDMA/PTSD research is proceeding in the broader field, but it should not be treated as direct support for Resilient/Lykos NDA resubmission unless linked by company or FDA evidence.

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