Nicky Mehtani, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Medicine
School of Medicine
Nicky Mehtani, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the UCSF Division of General Internal Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital. Her research focuses on the use of psychedelic therapies to treat addiction and psychological trauma, with an emphasis on expanding access to these emerging treatments for medically and socially complex populations. She is also a faculty affiliate of UCSF Neuroscape, the Philip R.
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Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s (SFDPH) Center on Substance Use and Health.
Clinically, Dr. Mehtani specializes in Addiction and HIV Medicine, providing care at the SFDPH Maria X. Martinez Health Resource Center, a low-barrier clinic serving people experiencing homelessness and unstable housing. In this role, she has led the implementation of long-acting injectable antiretroviral medications for HIV treatment and prevention.
Awards
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- Population Health & Health Equity Scholar, UCSF Dean's Office, 2025
- CAPS Innovative Award (NIH-NIMH), UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Sciences, 2024
- KL2 Career Development Award (NIH-NCATS), UCSF Clinical & Translational Science Institute, 2024
- Young Investigator Grant, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, 2023
- Early Stage Investigator Pilot Award, California HIV/AIDS Research Program, 2023
- T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship (NIH-NIDA), UCSF Department of Psychiatry, 2022
- REACH Fellowship (SAMHSA), American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, 2019
- David M. Levine Research Award, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 2016
- MPH Best Overall Capstone Award, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 2015
- Linda Faye Williams Social Justice Alumni Award, Rice University, 2015
- Watt/Hansell Scholarship, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 2014
- Wakley Prize, Lancet Editorial Board, 2012
Education & Training
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- Postdoc Addiction Research University of California, San Francisco 06/2024
- Certificate Psychedelic Therapy & Research California Institute of Integral Studies 12/2021
- Clinical Fellowship Addiction Medicine University of California, San Francisco 06/2020
- Residency Internal Medicine - Urban Health Johns Hopkins Hospital 06/2019
- MD Medicine Johns Hopkins School of Medicine 05/2016
- MPH Epidemiology Johns Hopkins School of Public Health 05/2015
- BA Biochemistry, Global Health Rice University 05/2011
Interests
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- psychedelic therapies
- addiction medicine
- HIV
- substance use disorders
- low-barrier care
Publications (25)
Top publication keywords:
QuarantineMeasles VaccineMeaslesAlcoholismAmphetamine-Related DisordersKetamineMethamphetamineShameHarm ReductionImmunogenicity, VaccineHIV InfectionsPsilocybinPatient Protection and Affordable Care ActAddiction MedicinePsychotherapy
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Psychedelic Augmentation of 12-Step Engagement: A Novel, Accessible Approach to Enhance Community-Based Recovery from Substance Use Disorders.
Journal of psychoactive drugs 2025 Mehtani NJ, Mian MN, Agin-Liebes G, Coker AR, Huebner C, Anderson BT, Mitchell JM -
Ketamine-Assisted Recovery (KARE): protocol for an open-label pilot trial of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for publicly insured patients with methamphetamine use disorder and HIV risks.
BMJ open 2025 Mehtani NJ, Anderson BT, Alexander I, Hendricks PS, Mitchell JM, Coffin PO, Johnson MO -
HIV Viral Suppression With Unintentional Lenacapavir Monotherapy in Adherence-Challenged Patients: A Case Series.
Open forum infectious diseases 2025 Mehtani NJ, Grochowski J, Chimezie A, Strough A, Strieff S, Gandhi M -
A systematic review of income and education reporting in psychedelic clinical trials
Nature Mental Health. 2025 Grossman DH, Madden KR, Mehtani NJ, Anderson BT, Davis LL, Mitchell JM, Hendricks PS. -
On Minimizing Risk and Harm in the Use of Psychedelics.
Psychiatric research and clinical practice 2025 Evans J, Aixalà M, Anderson BT, Brennan W, Bremler R, Breeksema JJ, Burback L, Calder AE, Carhart-Harris RL, Cheung K, Devenot N, Gorman I, Gren J, Hendricks PS, Holoyda B, Jacobs E, Krecké J, Kruger …
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A Review of Implementation Strategies to Enhance PrEP Delivery for People Experiencing Housing Insecurity: Advancing a Multifaceted High-Touch, Low-Barrier Approach.
Current HIV/AIDS reports 2024 Velloza J, Mehtani NJ, Hickey MD, Imbert E, Appa A, Riley ED -
Psilocybin-assisted therapy and HIV-related shame.
Scientific reports 2024 Mehtani NJ, Johnson MO, Hendricks PS, Mitchell J, Anderson BT -
Feasibility of Implementing a Low-Barrier Long-Acting Injectable Antiretroviral Program for HIV Treatment and Prevention for People Experiencing Homelessness.
Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 2024 Mehtani NJ, Strough A, Strieff S, Zevin B, Eveland J, Riley ED, Gandhi M -
Facing a Tsunami: Methamphetamine Heart Failure Demands Novel Approaches.
JACC. Advances 2024 Walker SL, Mehtani NJ, Parikh NI -
Psychedelics in Addiction Treatment-Navigating a Sociopolitical Rift.
JAMA neurology 2024 Mehtani NJ, Anderson BT, Mitchell JM -
Housing Instability Associated with Return to Stimulant Use among Previously Abstaining Women.
International journal of environmental research and public health 2023 Mehtani NJ, Chuku CC, Meacham MC, Vittinghoff E, Dilworth SE, Riley ED -
Commentary: Evidence-Informed Recommendation to Achieve Approximate Parity in the Allowed Number of Doses for Common Psychedelics.
Journal of psychoactive drugs 2023 Thomas KL, Jesse R, Mehtani NJ, Mitchell JM, Anderson BT -
Understanding HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Questions of U.S. Health Care Providers: Unique Perspectives from the PrEPline Clinical Teleconsultation Service.
Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association 2022 Saberi P, Mehtani NJ, Sayegh A, Camp CE, Chu C -
Perceptions on navigating ACGME-accredited addiction psychiatry fellowship program websites: A thematic analysis across a race- and gender-diverse pool of potential applicants.
Substance abuse 2022 Abrams MP, Jackson DS, Aneke-Gratia A, Kohler AE, Mehtani N, Jordan A -
Infectious Diseases Learning Unit: Understanding Advances in the Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection Among People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
Open forum infectious diseases 2021 Mehtani NJ, Puryear S, Pham P, Dooley KE, Shah M -
Successful implementation of managed alcohol programs in the San Francisco Bay Area during the COVID-19 crisis.
Substance abuse 2021 Ristau J, Mehtani N, Gomez S, Nance M, Keller D, Surlyn C, Eveland J, Smith-Bernardin S -
COVID-19: A catalyst for change in telehealth service delivery for opioid use disorder management.
Substance abuse 2021 Mehtani NJ, Ristau JT, Snyder H, Surlyn C, Eveland J, Smith-Bernardin S, Knight KR -
COVID-19: Broadening the horizons of U.S. harm reduction practices through managed alcohol programs.
Journal of substance abuse treatment 2020 Mehtani NJ, Ristau JT, Eveland J -
Immunogenicity and Safety of the Measles Vaccine in HIV-Infected Children: An Updated Systematic Review.
American journal of epidemiology 2019 Mehtani NJ, Rosman L, Moss WJ -
Development and Validation of HIV-ASSIST, an Online, Educational, Clinical Decision Support Tool to Guide Patient-Centered ARV Regimen Selection.
Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 2019 Maddali MV, Mehtani NJ, Converse C, Kapoor S, Pham P, Li JZ, Shah M -
Elevated highly sensitive C-reactive protein and d-dimer levels are associated with food insecurity among people living with HIV in Pune, India.
Public health nutrition 2019 Patil S, Kadam D, Mehtani N, Sangle S, Marbaniang I, Kulkarni V, Shere D, Deshpande P, Dhumal G, Suryavanshi N, Gupte N, Bollinger R, DeLuca A, Nevrekar N, Menon P, Kawade R, Patil M, Gupta A, Mave V -
Three Years Post-Affordable Care Act Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinics Remain Critical Among Vulnerable Populations.
American journal of preventive medicine 2018 Mehtani NJ, Schumacher CM, Johnsen LE, Greenbaum A, Chaulk CP, Ghanem KG, Jennings JM, Page KR -
Continued Importance of Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinics in the Era of the Affordable Care Act.
American journal of preventive medicine 2016 Mehtani NJ, Schumacher CM, Johnsen LE, Khaldun JS, Chaulk CP, Ghanem KG, Jennings JM, Page KR -
The Shift: When People Become Patients.
Maryland medicine : MM : a publication of MEDCHI, the Maryland State Medical Society 2016 DesRosiers T, Mehtani N, Gornet M, Zuo SW, Hrdina R, Vandiver AR, Purvis T, LaVigne A, Dichoso T, Towle DW, Staiano P, Kapoor S, Rogers D, Pham A, Lange R, Fan C, Shrock C, Maredia H, Doong J, Song A -
The measuring cup.
Lancet (London, England) 2013 Mehtani N