Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Physician Well-Being and Burnout (PAT-B)

January 15, 2026 updated by: Cory Weissman, University of California, San Diego

Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Physician Well-Being and Burnout: Feasibility, Safety, Clinical Effectiveness and Biomarkers of Response [PAT-B (Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Physician Well-Being and Burnout)]

Through an open-label study involving a small group of UCSD physicians experiencing burnout, the investigators will evaluate the feasibility, safety, and preliminary effectiveness of PAT to reduce burnout symptoms.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Physician burnout is a critical issue. Research shows that physician burnout is increasing, that physicians suffer higher rates of burnout than the general population, and that physician burnout is associated with poor mental health outcomes.

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring alkaloid within certain fungi that elicits acute perceptual, cognitive, and emotional changes when ingested, due to action on neurotransmitter and neurocirculatory systems. The combination of psilocybin with psychological support, termed Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy (PAT), is a promising new mental health intervention shown to produce rapid and sustained improvements in psychological domains affected in burnout. PAT demonstrates preliminary efficacy as a treatment for depression and substance use disorders, is associated with brain changes measured with electroencephalography (EEG) and is a strong candidate treatment for physician burnout.

The primary aim of this study is to investigate the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of PAT to enhance well-being in University of California, San Diego (UCSD) physicians experiencing burnout. A secondary aim is to identify neurophysiological changes associated with response to PAT. Physicians experiencing burnout will be recruited in an open-label trial involving preparatory therapy sessions, psilocybin treatment, and post-treatment integration. Burnout will be measured with the Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index (PFI).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

10

Phase

  • Phase 2
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • San Diego, California, United States, 92037
        • Recruiting
        • UC San Diego
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Cory R Weissman, MD, PhD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. UCSD faculty physician, aged 21-70. Volunteer faculty are not included
  2. Meets criteria for physician burnout
  3. Experiencing symptoms of burnout for >6 months
  4. Able to complete all required study visits
  5. Not previously diagnosed with a serious mental illness (including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and severe depression), or substance use disorder as confirmed in clinical interview
  6. Not currently taking any psychotropic medications or nonpsychotropic medication that may be associated with serotonin syndrome, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI or SNRI), dextromethorphan, linezolid, tramadol, meperidine

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Previous inpatient psychiatric hospitalization(s)
  2. Previously diagnosed with a psychotic disorder (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or other psychotic spectrum disorder), bipolar spectrum disorder, personality disorder (borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, or other severe personality disorders), any severe psychiatric disorder.
  3. Exhibiting elevated suicide risk
  4. First degree family history of psychosis or bipolar disorder
  5. Prior exposure to psilocybin or other psychedelic compounds in the previous 10 years
  6. Currently pregnant, nursing, planning pregnancy, engaging in sexual intercourse without effective contraceptive method in last three months
  7. Those who plan to donate sperm within three months following the study.
  8. Known cardiovascular disease including history of stroke, myocardial infarction, uncontrolled hypertension, valvular heart disease, tachycardia, elongated QT interval, or clinically significant arrythmia.
  9. History of seizure disorder
  10. Use of recreational illicit drugs
  11. Clinically concerning results from vital signs, ECG, physical examination, or laboratory tests during screening
  12. Any other clinically significant illnesses deemed to pose risk for the participant

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy
Subjects will receive a single dose of psilocybin in conjunction with psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Drug: Psilocybin, [3-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-1H-indol-4-yl] dihydrogen phosphate
25 mg, single dose of psilocybin
Other Names:
  • Psilocybin

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index (PFI)
Time Frame: From enrollment until end of study at 12 week follow-up.
Assessment used to determine degree/severity of burnout.
From enrollment until end of study at 12 week follow-up.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of California, San Diego

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 13, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 1, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 6, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

February 7, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 20, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 15, 2026

Last Verified

November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 176596

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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