Medical Cannabis Conference
Medical Cannabis Conference
Brought to you by Society of Cannabis Clinicians & The ReLeaf Institute
Date: September 2, 2023
Location: UCLA
Neuroscience Research Building (NRB)
635 Charles E Young Drive South
Los Angeles, CA 90095
This clinical cannabis conference is the first national conference hosted by the Society of Cannabis Clinicians and features authors of the SCC Clinical Training Curriculum. Join us at this exclusive event to hear directly from world-renowned cannabis experts who have combined decades of experience utilizing medical cannabis in their diverse patient populations.
Agenda
8:30 am
- Welcome: Sherry Yafai, MD
- Intro by MC, Dilara Uksup, PhD, PhD
9:00 am
- Genester Wilson-King, MD: Obstetrics & Gynecology
10:00 am
- Bonnie Goldstein, MD: Pediatrics & Epilepsy
11:00 am
- Patricia Frye, MD: Pediatrics & Autism
12:00 pm
- Tim Fong, MD: Addiction & Hyperemesis
---- 12:30 PM BREAK for LUNCH ----
1:15 pm
- Sherry Yafai, MD: Dementia & Palliative Care
2:15 pm
- California Department of Cannabis Control
2:45 pm
- Reji Varghese, MBC, Interim Executive Director at Medical Board of California
3:15 pm
- Dr. Imani Brown, LA County Department of Cannabis Regulations
3:45 pm
- Roundtable discussion:
- Department of Cannabis Control, Medical Board of California, County Department of Cannabis Regulations
—- 15 Minute Break —-
4:30 pm
- SCC Closing Remarks - Stephen Robinson, MD, MPH
5:00 pm close
- Networking & Sponsorship Booth Exhibition
6:00 - 8:00 pm
- Happy Hour at SLS Hotel hosted by MedinaCBD
There is 1 free entrance ticket included with the $500 and $750 sponsorship levels, and 2 free entrance tickets included with the $1000 sponsorship level.
Meet the speakers
Bonni Goldstein, MD
Dilara K. Üsküp, Ph.D
Genester Wilson-King, MD
Patricia Frye, MD
Reji T. Varghese, MBC
Stephen Robinson, MD, MPH
Sherry Yafai, MD
Timothy W. Fong, MD
Imani Brown, PhD
Bonni Goldstein, MD
Bonni Goldstein, MD is the Medical Director of Canna-Centers Wellness & Education, a California-based medical practice devoted to educating patients about the use of cannabis for serious and chronic medical conditions. She completed her internship and residency at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where she also served as chief resident. After years of working in the specialty of Pediatric Emergency medicine, she developed an interest in the science of medical cannabis after witnessing its beneficial effects in an ill friend. Over the last 15 years she has evaluated thousands of patients for use of medical cannabis and is recognized as an expert in the clinical application of cannabis therapeutics. She has a special interest in treating children with intractable epilepsy, autism, cancer and other conditions. Her latest book, “Cannabis is Medicine: How Medical Cannabis and CBD are Healing Everything from Anxiety to Chronic Pain” was published in September 2020 by Little, Brown Spark. Dr. Goldstein is currently researching the use of Cannabis-Responsive biomarkers to document objective cannabis treatment efficacy, guide clinical decision-making and improve outcomes.
Dilara K. Üsküp, Ph.D
Dilara K. Üsküp, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in Internal Medicine at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Sciences and an Investigator in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Üsküp is a joint doctoral graduate of the University of Chicago’s Department of Political Science and the Divinity School. She was the first in the University’s history to be awarded both a Ph.D. in political science and a Ph.D. in theology from the Divinity School. She completed her NIH/NIMH training at the UCLA Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services. Her research investigates the ways religious and political institutions, attitudes, and ideology interacts and shape health behavior to inform public policy. She is also an ordained minister. Her burgeoning research portfolio includes the areas of politics and theology, HIV prevention, cannabis and social equity, and health policy. She collaborates and consultants with faith-based and faith-placed cannabis organizations that are engaged in social justice work around incarceration/citizen reentry, employment/job creation, economic development, health equity, and cannabis social equity. She is co-principal investigator of CaliCANN, a demographic analysis of the state of California cannabis market.
Genester Wilson-King, MD
Dr. Genester Wilson-King, MD, is a Board-Certified obstetrician and gynecologist and Fellow of the American College of OB/Gyn with over 25 years of clinical experience providing compassionate, individualized, and research-driven care to patients throughout Florida. After years of working as a full service OB/GYN in established institutions such as Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Florida Hospital Waterman, she founded Victory Rejuvenation Center (VRC), a private holistic and preventive medicine practice that provides life-transforming management modalities and customized medicines prescribed to improve and advance the health of men and women. As the Medical Director of VRC, she channels her expertise in plant-based medicine, integrated health, nutrition and supplement use, exercise, cannabis education and hormone balancing to provide services that help her patients age gracefully and achieve holistic well-being.
Dr. Wilson-King is also an advocate, speaker, clinician and educator for cannabis. She has spent quality time on cultivation farms, in processing facilities, labs, and in dispensaries across the country and in Israel. She is Co-VP of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians. The SCC is the educational and scientific society of physicians and other professionals dedicated to the promotion, protection and support of cannabis for medical use. Dr. Wilson-King co-authored the Best Practices Guidelines for Cannabis Use in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding. She is also on the Board of the Doctors For Cannabis Regulation (DCFR), the first and only national physicians’ association dedicated to the legalization and effective regulation of cannabis for adults. Advancing the DCFR’s commitment to addressing the disproportionate criminalization of marijuana use among communities of color and the nation’s poor, she regularly provides expert opinions for cannabis legal cases.
A nationally recognized wellness and cannabis use speaker, Dr. Wilson-King presents widely on topics such as Cannabis as Medicine, Cannabis use in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cannabis and The Aging Patient. She has held dozens of seminars throughout the State of Florida on Premenstrual Syndrome Management, Menopause: Women and Men, Bioidentical Hormone Therapy, and the Aging Process from the whole person perspective.
Dr. Wilson-King is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Wilson-King completed her internship and residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and has degrees from Swarthmore College and Thomas Jefferson Medical College.
Patricia Frye, MD
Patricia Frye M.D. began her journey with medicinal cannabis as the first evaluating physician for a cannabis telemedicine platform, HelloMD. This was her first introduction to the use of cannabis as medicine and it proved to be an invaluable and career-changing experience. Intrigued by the testimony of thousands of patients and what she learned from the scientific literature, Dr. Frye went on to become professionally certified in Cannabis Science and Medicine by the University of Vermont School of Medicine.
Now in private practice, Dr. Frye focuses on the role of cannabis in the management of chronic pain, inflammation, autoimmunity, neurodegenerative disorders, autism, seizure disorders, and psychiatric conditions. She works closely with patients and their referring clinicians to develop sound treatment plans that are based on both observational and scientific evidence.
Dr. Frye earned her medical degree at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where she also trained in pediatrics, and is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. After completing her pediatric residency, she trained in Anesthesiology at Baylor College of Medicine where she gained experience working with adult patients in medical pain management and pain management procedures.
During her many years at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California her practice focused on children and teens with autistic spectrum disorder, learning and developmental disabilities, school problems, and behavior issues. She has served as a volunteer for several organizations which include the St. Mary’s AIDS Care Team, Phoenix House, an in-patient drug rehabilitation program for adolescents, Head Start Committee on Health, and Piedmont CASA where she served as an advocate for children in the family court system due to abuse or neglect.
Dr. Frye lectures internationally, educating medical providers, patient groups, policy makers, businesses, and government agencies on the endocannabinoid system and medical benefits of the cannabis plant. She serves on the Cannabis Trade Federation Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the board of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians. In 2018 she authored the book “The Medical Marijuana Guide: Cannabis and Your Health”.
Reji T. Varghese, MBC
Mr. Varghese is serving as Deputy Executive Director of The Medical Board of California (MBC) for the past two years and seven months and as of February 17, 2023 the Board appointed him to the position of Interim Executive Director. Prior to joining MBC, he served, for 10 (ten) years, The Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision (OMB) in the capacity of Deputy Executive Director. He started working at OMB from November 1989 and served in different capacity, various positions, and departments. In total he has over 33 years of experience in medical regulatory field.
He obtained bachelor’s degree in economics/commerce from MG University, India.
Varghese is an active member of California Department of Consumer Affairs’ DEI steering committee. He also served on the Board of Directors of; The Telehealth Alliance of Oklahoma, member of The Allied Tele-health sub-committee for the Board, South Indian Cultural Association of Oklahoma.
Also, served as Board member of several organizations to include Putnam City Public Schools Oklahoma, Oklahoma Public Purchasing Association, St. George Syriac Orthodox Christian Church, Council representative to American Archdiocese of Syriac Orthodox Churches, Director of National Sunday School Association.
Stephen Robinson, MD, MPH
Dr. Stephen S. Robinson grew up in Newark, NJ and graduated from Reed College in Portland, Oregon and the University of Washington Medical School in Seattle. Dr. Robinson completed his MPH at Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.
His interest in both public health and global health became a lifelong commitment after his first visit to Cuba in the early ’70s. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Harlem Hospital Center and later served as a medical team leader to Ghana and Liberia with Operation Crossroads Africa.
In New York City, Dr. Robinson worked within the Sophie Davis School at the City College of New York for 15 years, to establish the CUNY Medical School. Esteemed colleagues included the late Dr. George I. Lythcott. During his tenure with the City University, Robinson also served as the interim director of the Physician Assistant Program at Harlem Hospital Center.
After working as Medical Director with Georgia’s Primary Care Assn., he left the US for five years and worked in Tanzania, setting up an exchange program between the Institute for Medical Research in Tanzania and the Public Health Sciences Institute at Morehouse College. While there, he also worked with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health evaluating health facilities for their readiness to provide HIV/AIDS care and treatment.
Since his move to Oakland, California in 2010, Dr. Robinson has been evaluating patients for their use of medical cannabis. He participated on panels at numerous cannabis-related conferences and delivered presentations on cannabis’ medicinal benefits and dosing strategies to both professional and lay audiences. Dr. Robinson contributed to the revision of the Medical Board of California’s “Guidelines for the Recommendation of Cannabis for Medical Purposes.” He has been a board member of the Society for Cannabis Clinicians, and currently serves as president of the organization.
Sherry Yafai, MD
Sherry Yafai MD is a Cannabis Specialist and Board-Certified Emergency Medicine physician since 2009. She started her medical career at UCSD Medical School and completed her training at UCSD Emergency Medicine Residency in 2009. After recreational marijuana laws had passed in California in 2017, Dr. Yafai felt compelled to open a private Cannabis Clinic, the ReLeaf Institute, to counsel patients interested in cannabis for wellness and disease related treatment. She is the past Co-Vice President and current Secretary of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians (SCC), a distinguished speaker for UCSD Center for Medical Cannabis Research, Pacific Neuroscience Institute, and multiple other medical programs. Dr. Yafai writes a column for Emergency Medicine News, “The Case for Cannabis” and encourages discussions on the pros and cons of cannabis in the field of medicine.
Timothy W. Fong, MD
Dr. Fong is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. He is board certified in adult and addiction psychiatry.
He is the co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program. The purpose of this program is to examine the clinical characteristics of gambling disorder in order to develop effective, evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies.
Dr. Fong is also a member of the Steering Committee of the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids whose mission is to address the most pressing questions related to the impact of cannabis legalization through rigorous scientific study and discourse across disciplines.
He is the Director of the UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Consultation Service and an an attending physician in the UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Clinic.
Imani Brown, PhD
Dr. Imani Brown is an urban policy and planning professional with more than 25 years’ experience in the areas of public policy, sustainable urban land use, government relations, and small business development. She currently is the Social Equity Program Director for the Department of Cannabis Regulation for the City of Los Angeles. Her programs’ focus is Business, Licensing, Compliance and Technical Assistance, Grants, Pro Bono & Low Bono Legal Services and equity centered policy reform.
She was a Managing Partner at Granite Equities, LLC a sustainable urban infill property redevelopment company.
Dr. Brown was formerly the Executive Director of External Partnerships of Government & Civic Engagement at USC, where she assisted in developing the Community Benefits Agreement for University Village, a multi-billion dollar economic development project. As Associate Vice President of University & Government Relations at California State University Dominguez Hills, she contributed to the negotiations of the Stub Hub Sports Arena (Currently Dignity Health Sports Park). She served as Chief Deputy of Small Business, Transportation and Housing for the late Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald of the 37th Congressional District, where she created small business incubators and opportunities for communities impacted by the Alameda Corridor Project. She has negotiated multi-million dollar professional services contracts and co-founded The Vendor Relations Department for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
Dr. Brown is an alumni of the University of Maryland and Cornell University. She earned her doctorate degree in 2009 from the University of Southern California, Sol Price School of Public Policy. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Maynard Brown.
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