Episode #185: Dr. Joanna Kempner

In Episode #185, sociologist Dr. Joanna Kempner joins Osi to discuss her groundbreaking book Psychedelic Outlaws: The Movement Revolutionizing Modern Medicine. They explore the use of psilocybin mushrooms as a treatment for severe headaches, examining what this breakthrough means for the future of psychedelic medicine. The conversation covers the regulatory challenges that drive patients to create their own remedies, the broader implications for the healthcare system, and how political and systemic forces shape the development and accessibility of pain treatments. Joanna Kempner, associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Rutgers University, is an award-winning sociologist of science, medicine, technology, and inequality, and the author of Psychedelic Outlaws: The Movement Revolutionizing Modern Medicine and Not Tonight: Migraine and the Politics of Gender and Health.Kempner’s research explores the social forces that determine which medical issues receive attention and which are systematically overlooked. Kempner’s research is published in top journals across multiple disciplines, including Science, PLoS Medicine, and Social Science & Medicine and is often featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, PBS Newshour, and the BBC. She’s also a West Philly mom with two kids, two cats, and a very small poodle.