Benjamin Lewis, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist and academic clinician at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Mental Health Institute, where he serves as an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and practices inpatient adult psychiatry. His work focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of major psychiatric disorders, alongside scholarly interests in medical ethics, philosophy of psychiatry, and the emerging field of psychedelic medicine. He is the principal investigator of the University of Utah Psychedelic Science Initiative, where he leads research on psychedelic-assisted therapies, including ketamine and psilocybin, with an emphasis on developing evidence-based clinical applications and integrating these treatments with approaches such as mindfulness.
True Crime. Meets Psychedelic Science. Meets a Modern Day Take on the Rosenhan Experiment.
This is the untold story of alleged negligence and silencing surrounding the Parth Gandhi PhD murder-suicide and sex assault cases. In August 2021, multiple psychiatry peers in Salt Lake City were reportedly notified of concerns that Dr. Gandhi posed a potential risk of serious harm, yet no effective reporting or intervention occurred. What follows is a complex and deeply troubling account that raises difficult questions about professional responsibility, oversight, and the limits of accountability.
Should He Be Leary About Being Leary?
This is the Untold Story Behind the Parth Gandhi Murder-Suicide and Sex Assault Cases
This is the untold story of alleged negligence and silencing surrounding the Parth Gandhi PhD murder-suicide. In August/September 2021, multiple psychiatry peers in Salt Lake City were reportedly notified of concerns that Dr. Gandhi posed a potential risk of serious harm, yet no effective reporting or intervention occurred. What follows is a complex and deeply troubling account that raises difficult questions about professional responsibility, oversight, and the limits of accountability. The central figure in this narrative, our author, remains unnamed for now.
Introducing Our Author:
The author of this account writes anonymously—a whistleblower, civil rights activist, endurance artist, and concerned community member with a decade-long history following the alleged negligence of Dr. Benjamin Lewis after experiencing its impact firsthand. This story begins with a mishandled 2016 stalking complaint and unfolds into a far more disturbing trajectory, ultimately intersecting with the Parth Gandhi PhD murder-suicide.
What follows traces a series of events spanning years: from a January 2021 “Me Too”-style email foreshadowing the exposure of a June 2020 alleged assault involving a Huntsman Mental Health Institute psychiatrist, to a February 3, 2021 communication that would later contextualize the unraveling events of July 2022. The narrative explores alleged retaliation, including a June 7, 2021 Utah Psychedelic Initiative (UPSI) incident described as a coordinated hazing response to public disclosures, and subsequent episodes in 2021-2026 involving alleged misconduct coinciding with professional events in the psychedelic community.
In August 2021, multiple warnings reportedly surfaced that Dr. Parth Gandhi posed a potential danger—concerns that were not acted upon. These warnings, alongside broader allegations, would later gain visibility on a global stage in July 2022.
In November 2022, during a Utah Psychiatric Association meeting, Dr. Benjamin Lewis allegedly urged this author not to proceed with further disclosures, stating he would “do anything” to protect the field of psychedelics. What that protection has meant—and whether it reflects truth or continued concealment—remains an open question.
A Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) investigation was opened in Winter 2022 and ultimately closed in Spring 2025 after prolonged delays. Dr. Benjamin Lewis and associated peers allegedly refused to provide statements despite multiple subpoenas, postponing findings until statutes lapsed and allegations went unaddressed. During this period, the author experienced significant personal toll, ultimately requiring medical care. Now recovered, this account returns to tell the untold story.
This is the story behind some of Salt Lake City’s most controversial communications and events. The jury is still out—what do you think really happened?
Our Story Begins...
As a former resident at the University of Utah Adult Psychiatry Residency Program and student studying under supervision of Dr. Benjamin Lewis, he was notified of the author’s March 2016 stalking complaint involving a UNI (now Huntsman Mental Health Institute - HMHI) staff member but dismissed the concerns, reprimanded the author for reporting, and attributed the behavior to “boundary issues” or cultural factors. He failed to initiate appropriate safety measures or formal reporting processes and instead contributed to mischaracterizing the concerns as psychiatric in nature, resulting in no protective action despite credible safety risks.
This matter was later reported to the University of Utah Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) in 2019, at which time the Graduate Medical Education Committee expressed unanimous support for the author. However, threats that the author’s private history would be made public by an OEO investigator led to premature closure of the complaint.
June 2020 Alleged Retaliatory Sex Assault
In June 2020, after the author experienced an alleged sexual assault while under the influence of MDMA by a Huntsman Mental Health Institute psychiatrist and colleague of Dr. Lewis, Stamatios Dentino MD, the broader pattern of events began to surface. In January 2021, a “Me Too”-style email brought forward the history of the 2016 stalking complaint and related concerns, foreshadowing that a more serious incident (the alleged June 2020 rape) had occurred.
It is important to note that at the time of these disclosures, Dr. Lewis was not aware of the June 2020 allegations. His subsequent alleged retaliatory actions in mid-2021 as described below appear to have been conducted under the belief that the emails were intended to expose him, rather than a broader pattern of alleged misconduct involving other individuals. While Dr. Lewis is not without responsibility in these events, elements of this account suggest he may also have been operating within a wider environment of alleged concealment connected to the actions of others later brought to light.
January 2021 'Me Too' Email
In January 2021, the author circulated a “Me Too”-style email to multiple faculty affiliated with Huntsman Mental Health Institute, including the physician she later identified as the alleged perpetrator, Stamatios Dentino MD, of a June 2020 MDMA-facilitated sexual assault, as well as Dr. Benjamin Lewis.
The email primarily described concerns regarding alleged mistreatment during residency training under Dr. Lewis’s supervision, but also contained language that the author states was intended to foreshadow a more serious, undisclosed event, the alleged June 2020 sex assault she experienced.
According to the author’s account, Dr. Lewis mistakenly interpreted the communication as directed at exposing him and prior training-related concerns, and in doing so may not have recognized or responded to the portions of the email that alluded to the alleged June 2020 assault. The author further alleges that this interpretation contributed to subsequent actions by Dr. Lewis and peers in summer of 2021 and beyond that she experienced as retaliatory and designed to chill her speech and silence her following these disclosures.
February 3, 2021 Email Alluding to the Author's True Intentions
A February 3, 2021 email addressed to Drs. Ben Lewis and Brent Kious following the author's January 2021 'Me Too' email described above included the following:
"... I trust you all to think critically on the experiences I’ve shared: mine and each of your own. I hope we all learn from the case, the experience, the ethics of it all, novel medical treatments, psychedelic medicine, the me too movement, the way we treat each other, the way we support and approach our students, survivors of sexual violence, mental health vs illness vs wellness, what we do, who we are.
There are things I didn’t get to learn from you all because my learning environment was not one conducive to learning. I wish I’d found you or someone sooner that maybe could or would have listened and intervened before things grew as they did. I hope others will think about this too and remember me and what I have created and done. I hope you will be proud of me and secretly or not so secretly, though this is complicated, I know that many of you are.
I hope that when I see you all again you don’t look away, that you know I love you, and that I am proud to be a graduate of your program...
(signed) Sincerely Your Student, and Always Your Friend..."
While it wasn't immediately apparent to Benjamin Lewis MD or Brent Kious MD, to whom this Feb 3, 2021 email was addressed, the release of a 2017 article that had inspired these later disclosures of the alleged June 2020 MDMA facilitated sex assault she experienced was released in July 2022 amongst national leaders of the psychedelic sciences at the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), and Numinus. At that time it became apparent that the author's original intent in her January 2021 'Me Too' email was to expose the June 2020 alleged MDMA facilitated sex assault she experienced at the hands of HMHI psychiatrist Stamatios Dentino MD, and later, once she became aware of them, Parth Gandhi's harms in Utah, to also expose this.
This 2017 article, The War on Terror: Is There Ever Room For Compassion?, would tie the story all together and reveal her true intention in 'Me Too'ing the University of Utah Psychiatry Department in January 2021, that being, to expose a predator, and the alleged psychedelic sex abuse and harms occurring in Utah. The article, linked above and below, answered each of the ethical questions the author posed in her February 3, 2021 email and made it clear the intentions of this outreach had always been to report and expose alleged sexual assault, not to expose Ben Lewis MD, or any other. Unfortunately Ben Lewis MD retaliated before this could be made clear.
June 7, 2021 UPSI Public Hazing & Retaliation
The Price of Reporting Alleged Rape and Abuse in Utah
Alleged Hazing Incident – June 7, 2021
According to the author’s account, she was invited to attend a June 7, 2021 meeting of the Utah Psychedelic Science Initiative (UPSI), founded by Dr. Benjamin Lewis and affiliated with a major academic psychiatry department. The meeting was presented as an educational session, and the author states she attended believing the invitation signaled reconciliation and professional inclusion.
The presentation focused on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD and, according to the author, drew directly from the May 2021 Nature Medicine publication by Michael Mithoefer and Rick Doblin et al., titled “MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study.” The author reports that this topic closely mirrored her own previously disclosed experiences, including PTSD, prior limited MDMA use during a personal crisis, and earlier stigmatizing labels.
The author further notes that the date of the meeting—June 7—held personal significance, coinciding with the anniversary of a disclosed familial suicide, her initial exposure to psychedelics, and timing related to prior communications she had shared. She perceived both the timing and topic selection as intentional.
The author alleges that during the presentation, Dr. Benjamin Lewis and others associated with UPSI engaged in conduct she experienced as targeted and derogatory. Reported examples include:
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A statement by Dr. Lewis, “it’s MDMA, bitch,” delivered in a manner as directed toward her.
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Use of memes and commentary referencing substance contamination (e.g., meth-in-MDMA), which the author states mirrored private concerns she had previously disclosed.
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References to personality pathology, including borderline personality traits, presented in a manner as to be pejorative and directed at the author in ways she experienced as stigmatizing.
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Commentary elevating prominent psychedelic researchers in a way the author perceived as undermining her credibility.
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Use of humor, memes, and imagery that the author interpreted as mocking prior ethical concerns she had raised.
The author reports that the cumulative effect of these elements was public humiliation and reputational harm within a professional setting, and she characterizes the event as an instance of alleged hazing and retaliation rather than a good-faith educational discussion.
Importantly, the author states that at the time of this June 7, 2021 presentation, Dr. Benjamin Lewis was not aware of the author’s allegation that she had been sexually assaulted while under the influence of MDMA in June 2020. According to the author, Dr. Lewis interpreted her January 2021 disclosures as an attempt to expose alleged mistreatment during residency training under his supervision. The author alleges that, based on this understanding, Dr. Lewis and others associated with UPSI engaged in conduct she experienced as retaliatory, without recognizing that her prior communication also foreshadowed a separate and more serious alleged incident.
Being Sane In Insane Places:
Alleged Medical Fraud Summer 2021
Alleged Rosenhan Experiment Style Patient Encounter and Ethical Concerns
The author describes a series of clinical encounters in 2021 that she believes were not legitimate patient interactions, but instead constituted an alleged “patient-actor” scenario modeled—intentionally or implicitly—on the well-known Rosenhan experiment. That study demonstrated how individuals presenting fabricated symptoms could be admitted into psychiatric settings and how diagnostic frameworks can obscure reality. The author alleges that elements of this paradigm were replicated in a clinical setting, not for research purposes, but as a form of retaliation.
According to the author’s account, this alleged encounter occurred shortly after her January 2021 disclosures to faculty, including Dr. Benjamin Lewis. The author states that, during her training, Dr. Lewis had previously presented on the Rosenhan experiment and that she had expressed interest in mentorship following that presentation. She alleges that this context may have informed the form of the subsequent encounter, which she experienced as both symbolically targeted and difficult to externally verify. The author further alleges that Dr. Lewis interpreted her January 2021 communication as an effort to expose him for prior alleged mistreatment during training and for characterizations of her mental health that she disputes.
The author alleges that, in this context, Dr. Lewis—potentially in collaboration with colleague Dr. Stamatios Dentino—participated in or facilitated a retaliatory scenario within a clinical setting. She further reports that private and sensitive aspects of her personal history were reflected back to her during a patient encounter in a manner that appeared scripted or performative rather than therapeutic. According to the author, this included references to prior disclosures, parental suicide, trauma history, and professional concerns, which she believes would not have been accessible to a patient absent inappropriate information sharing.
The author describes the interaction as resembling a staged psychodynamic presentation, in which the patient’s statements appeared to mirror narratives about her credibility, mental health, and prior communications. She reports that the encounter included themes and comments she experienced as humiliating and personally targeted, including references to personal traumas, family experiences, and insinuations regarding her mental health. The author also notes that the patient reportedly endorsed psychedelic-related symptoms, including a claimed DMT-related psychosis, occurring in close temporal proximity to a Utah Psychedelic Science Initiative (UPSI) presentation on DMT, the month following the June 7, 2021 MDMA for PTSD UPSI presentation in which she had been targeted. She interpreted as reinforcing her perception of coordination.
The author characterizes this alleged approach as a form of retaliation that, in her view, served multiple purposes: to undermine her credibility, to psychologically destabilize her, and to create a scenario that would be inherently difficult to substantiate and by doing so, would cause others to question her sanity should she ever report it. She further states that the incorporation of highly specific personal details made the encounter feel identifiable and directed. It was clear to her that not only had Dr. Lewis done this, but he wanted her to know that he had done so in collaboration with her June 2020 perpetrator (an event still unknown to Dr. Lewis at this time), and that he would get away with it.
The author acknowledges that these allegations are serious and not independently verified in this account, and that the individuals named have not publicly confirmed these claims. However, she maintains that the experience was real and significant. She further states that a growing number of individuals within the Salt Lake City medical and mental health community—including physicians (MD) and PhD-level psychologists who have been made aware of these events—have expressed concern that the described pattern was both factual and representative of retaliation. The author reports that her perspective is also supported by treating clinicians and others familiar with the broader context.
This account is presented for ethical review and to raise broader questions about the misuse of clinical environments, confidentiality, and power within psychiatric systems.
August/September 2021, Reporting Parth Gandhi PhD As Dangerous...
Seeking Support and Finding Harm
Following the alleged patient-actor and recreated Rosenhan experiment encounter, the author reports that she was terminated from her clinical position after a complaint was filed by the fraudulant patient’s outpatient therapist. She states that, in context, this sequence of events reinforced her belief that the encounter functioned as a pretext for adverse employment action and that the intent was to discredit and silence her following her prior disclosures. In the aftermath, the author sought guidance from a trusted member of the local psychedelic community who was affiliated with Parth Gandhi Phd to inquire whether they had been involved in the incident. During that conversation, she disclosed for the first time to this individual that her January 2021 email had been motivated by the alleged June 2020 MDMA-facilitated sexual assault that she had experienced. She raised concerns about the prior clinical encounter she believed mirrored elements of the Rosenhan experiment. According to the author, the individual responded with concern about potential reputational impact to the emerging psychedelic field and advised caution regarding further disclosures. The author reports that the conversation included statements she interpreted as warnings about professional and personal risk, including suggestions the author could be murdered if her disclosures harmed the psychedelic medicine movement. The individual warned the author that Parth Gandhi PhD was dangerous and that raising such allegations might carry consequences and encouraged her discretion. These statements heightened her concerns. The author left the interaction feeling fearful, uncertain, and increasingly alarmed about both her personal safety and broader risks within the community.
August/September, 2021 University of Utah Threats and Denial...
After being advised by an affiliate of Parth Gandhi PhD that Dr. Gandhi might pose a potential safety concern, the author reports that she became increasingly alarmed. She states that she reached out to peers at the University of Utah, including Dr. Benjamin Lewis, to express her concerns. In those communications, the author reports that she confronted Dr. Lewis regarding what she believed to be the prior June/July 2021 “patient-actor” encounter resembling the Rosenhan experiment and informed him that she believed he had been involved. She also communicated that she had been warned that Dr. Gandhi could be dangerous, potentially murderous, and expressed fear for her safety and for others. She cited coercive tactics indicating that "she didn't want to be Timothy Leary or Richard Alpert," after being told she could be blamed for ruining psychedelic medicine if her disclosures harmed the movement. The author states that she asked for assistance and urged Dr. Lewis to come forward, indicating that there were broader issues involving alleged misconduct within the institution and community, including concerns related to past sexual harm that she had not yet fully disclosed at that time.
According to the author’s account, these concerns were not supported in the manner she had hoped. Instead, she reports that in response to her messages to Benjamin Lewis MD she received communications from University of Utah legal counsel, including Scott Smith, JD, warning her about potential professional or legal consequences, threatening criminal citation, if she continued to make or escalate such reports about the dangers Parth Gandhi PhD posed and her concerns regarding Dr. Lewis' involvement. The author interpreted these communications as retaliatory and as discouraging further reporting. She describes this experience as consistent with patterns sometimes referred to as “DARVO” (deny, attack, and reverse victim and offender), though this characterization reflects her perspective.
Following these interactions, the author reports that her level of fear increased. She states that she became concerned that further reporting might not be believed or could result in professional repercussions, particularly given the seriousness and complexity of the allegations involved. She describes feeling isolated and uncertain about how to safely raise her concerns, both for her own protection and for the broader community. The author was determined to expose what had occurred both for her own safety and that of the community.
October/November 2021, Alleged Employment Sabotage
The author reports that she accepted an inpatient position at a local Salt Lake City hospital in October/November 2021. She states that shortly thereafter she informed Stamatios Dentino MD, the individual she identifies as her June 2020 perpetrator, that she had secured the role and would not allow him to chase her out of the area. According to the author, the position was subsequently withdrawn soon after. Based on the timing, she perceived a possible connection between these events and speculated that communication may have occurred between individuals affiliated with the University of Utah and leadership and the hospital.
January 2022, Afraid and Alone...
After being informed that Parth Gandhi may pose a potential safety risk, the author reports that she experienced escalating fear and psychological distress. She states that this fear persisted over the following years, including after the May 2023 Parth Gandhi PhD murder-suicide. According to the author, communications from University legal counsel, Dr. Benjamin Lewis, and associated peers indicated that they would not support her concerns and warned of potential professional or legal consequences should she continue to raise or publicize them. The author reports that these interactions contributed to feelings of isolation and vulnerability. In response, she pursued further education and support by applying to the California Institute of Integral Studies’ Certificate Program in Psychedelic Therapy and Research (CIIS CPTR), with the goal of continuing her work in psychedelic science and seeking a broader professional community. She states that she was accepted into the program in January 2022, an outcome she experienced as a meaningful source of support during a period of significant distress.
February 22, 2022, Learning Parth Gandhi PhD Was More Dangerous Than Previously Imagined...
As the situation evolved following her acceptance into the California Institute of Integral Studies’ Certificate Program in Psychedelic Therapy and Research, the author reports that she was contacted by Parth Gandhi PhD. Although she had previously been warned that he might pose a safety concern, she states that she remained focused on understanding the events that had led to her firing in 2021 and whether he may have had any involvement. According to the author, she agreed to meet with him in person on February 22, 2022 in order to better assess his credibility. She notes that navigating these interactions was challenging given the professional training of individuals in psychiatry and psychology, particularly in areas such as interviewing, emotional regulation, and presentation. These professionals are trained to mask their emotions and in a sense, are professional liars trained in secrecy and concealment.
The author reports that during these interactions, Dr. Gandhi initiated conversations that included sexual themes and suggested the potential for healing through intimate or sexual experiences involving psychedelic substances, including MDMA and psilocybin. She states that he communicated ideas about neurochemical mechanisms—such as serotonin and oxytocin—as part of this framing. The author describes these communications as concerning, potentially dangerous, and deeply unethical, and reports that she retained written messages that she interpreted as evidence of potentially inappropriate or unsafe intentions, which she could utilize to expose the community dangers she was investigating.
At the time, the author states she believed she may have been individually targeted and was motivated to seek support and ensure her own safety. She reports that she began considering how to share this information with individuals or institutions she believed could appropriately evaluate and respond to these concerns. She did not know at this time that Parth had a history of harming others, but she became increasingly concerned he was far more dangerous than she'd ever imagined.
April/May 2022, Seeking University Support and the Guidance of Our Peers...
Continued Fear in the Face of Alleged Negligence...
In April 2022, the author reports that she contacted Dr. Paul Carlson, then Program Director of the University of Utah Adult Psychiatry Training Program, via text message to share concerns regarding Parth Gandhi PhD. According to the author, she provided screenshots of communications indicating that Dr. Gandhi endorsed the use of psychedelic substances in conjunction with sexual activity as a means of healing sexual trauma. She states that this outreach built upon prior concerns she had communicated in August–September 2021 to Dr. Carlson and others, in which she expressed that Dr. Gandhi might pose a potential safety risk. The author reports that, at this point, she believed there was emerging evidence suggesting possible sexual boundary concerns in addition to prior safety concerns regarding prospective violence. She states that she urged Dr. Carlson to consider steps to limit Dr. Gandhi’s involvement with students and trainees, including raising concerns about a psychology trainee reportedly working with him at a private clinic and requesting reconsideration of his participation in the University of Utah Generations Conference scheduled for May 2022, where he was listed in disclosures. According to the author’s understanding, no such intervention occurred, and Dr. Gandhi remained listed in conference materials at that time.
May/June/July 2022, Continued Concern in the Face of Alleged Community Negligence...
In May 2022, the author reports growing concern after seeking guidance from leaders within local psychedelic-affiliated spiritual communities, including former Utah State Senator Steve Urquhart of The Divine Assembly (TDA). According to the author, these individuals acknowledged awareness of concerns regarding Parth Gandhi but indicated limited ability or willingness to intervene. The author further states that when she disclosed both her concerns about Dr. Gandhi and an alleged prior MDMA-related sexual assault involving a separate provider, she was advised to seek legal counsel and did not receive additional support. She reports that these interactions contributed to escalating concern about potential risks within the community.
During this period, the author attended an event in approximately June 2022 in Sun Valley, Idaho, where Rick Doblin was present. She states that she briefly shared her concerns with him, indicating that an assault had occurred and that she had concerns about a psychedelic practitioner in Utah, though she was unable to provide detailed information due to time constraints. The author subsequently participated in the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) MDMA-assisted therapy training through her CIIS CPTR coursework and reports that, by July 2022, she received additional information from another community psychedelic church leader suggesting that others may also have been affected by Parth's harms. Based on this evolving understanding, the author states that she concluded she was not alone and felt compelled to take further action to raise awareness and seek intervention regarding the concerns she had identified.
Despite these warnings, it would not be until after the 2023 murder-suicide as discussed below, that reports allege that Parth Gandhi's final reported rape occurred over this period in June of 2022.
July 31, 2022, The Mass Exposé...
After first developing concerns in 2021 that Parth Gandhi might pose a safety risk—and later, in early 2022, that there could be potential sexual boundary concerns—the author reports that her concern intensified further after learning between May and July 2022 that others may also have been affected. She states that this realization strengthened her determination to document and communicate these risks to protect the broader community. She describes being in a difficult position: she felt discredited following prior conflicts with peers, had experienced what she perceived as retaliation, and was coping with significant psychological distress, which made it challenging to present a clear and cohesive narrative. Over time, she realized she had already documented much of her experience in written communications to colleagues and began organizing these materials into a structured account.
The author further reports that she had previously received communications from University-affiliated parties that she interpreted as a cease-and-desist warning, indicating that if she continued to report or raise concerns about Dr. Gandhi and others to them, she could face potential criminal citation. Despite this, she states that she chose to move forward. As part of this effort, she drew upon the material referenced in the February 3, 2021 email section above, including an article that she states helped clarify her ethical concerns and provided a coherent framework for understanding the events. The author reports that this process made it clear to her that her intention throughout dating back to her January 2021 'Me Too' email described above had been to expose what she perceived as predatory behavior within the community—initially related to an alleged June 2020 assault she experienced, and subsequently including concerns regarding Dr. Gandhi.
According to the author, her outreach extended beyond local colleagues to include faculty affiliated with Huntsman Mental Health Institute, representatives from Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, California Institute of Integral Studies, Former Senator Steve Urquhart JD of The Divine Assembly, and others she understood to be leaders in the psychedelic sciences. She states that she reported these concerns in a guarded and measured manner due to ongoing fears for her personal, professional, and legal safety, while still making clear the nature of the risks she believed were present. She reports that she expressed willingness to participate in formal review processes, including potential medical board evaluation, in an effort to prioritize community safety and ethical accountability within the field.
September/October 2022, Cleared by the Board, Recruited to DOPL Investigations, and Confirming Community Harm...
In September and October 2022, the author reports that she was subject to review by the Utah state medical board in connection with her complaints regarding alleged harms within the community. According to the author, the board determined that her prior experiences and academic involvement with psychedelic medicine fell within the scope of acceptable psychiatric practice. She states that she was encouraged to report an alleged June 2020 sexual assault, as well as concerns related to a prior clinical incident she has described as resembling a duplication of the Rosenhan experiment. Following this review, the author began preparing formal documentation for potential law enforcement and licensing investigations. She further reports that she was later identified as a potential witness in proceedings involving Parth Gandhi through the Utah Division of Professional Licensing and, in that context, became aware of additional allegations involving possible harm to another another community member.
Cryptic Warnings During Chaotic times
Around the same timeframe as a November 9, 2022 academic presentation described below, an article entitled "Should We Be Leery of Being Leary?" by Ben Lewis MD, Brent Kious MD, et all was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology examining concerns about psychedelic use among researchers and the broader implications for the field. The paper discusses both the promise and risks of psychedelic psychiatry, including whether personal use by investigators may introduce bias into research outcomes. It concludes with a cautionary note: “We think that even on the most conservative estimates, psychedelics do show great promise for the treatment of conditions within and outside of psychiatry. We’d hate for a series of missteps, which would undoubtedly be highly publicized given the great attention paid to psychedelic science so far, to derail this program of research again.”
In earlier communications in August and September 2021, when safety concerns had been formally raised about Parth Gandhi PhD as potentially dangerous, the author explicitly referenced a desire not to become analogous to figures such as Timothy Leary or Richard Alpert, who have been historically associated with controversy and the decline of the psychedelic movement. At that time (August/September 2021) this framing had been invoked toward the author in responses to discourage escalation of her concerns. In light of this prior context, subsequent references in the article to a “series of missteps” were interpreted as implicitly referring to institutional failures at the University of Utah to act on those earlier warnings. The author experienced this as reinforcing a pattern in which concern for the reputation and continuity of the psychedelic field was prioritized over addressing reported risks, and understood the publication as contributing to an ongoing sense of pressure to remain silent due to repeated messaging that disclosure could harm the broader movement.
November 9, 2022, Dr. Ben Lewis UPA Presentation, "The Promise and Peril of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy..."
On November 9, 2022, the author attended a Utah Psychiatric Association meeting at which Dr. Benjamin Lewis presented a lecture titled 'The Promise and Peril of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy.' During the presentation, the author reports observing a moment of fixed, sustained eye contact from both Dr. Lewis and Dr. Brent Kious, who was present in his role as an ethics leader. The author interpreted this nonverbal exchange as meaningful in light of her prior communications, including her February 3, 2021 email and the July 31, 2022 article, The War on Terror: Is There Ever Room for Compassion? by Dr. Omar Reda. She states that this article not only outlined the ethical framework of her case, but also emphasized themes of recognizing shared humanity—specifically the importance of looking one another in the eye—as well as the ethical responsibility to report individuals who may pose harm.
The author reports that these same themes were foreshadowed in her February 3, 2021 communication, which she intended as an early effort to convey both the ethical concerns and the seriousness of what she was attempting to disclose. In this context, she interpreted the sustained eye contact as acknowledgment that her message had been received and understood, emphasizing a line from the article referencing looking one another in the eye and recognizing shared humanity. She further reports that Dr. Kious appeared to mouth the word “wow” in her direction, which she interpreted as an expression of recognition or impression regarding the manner in which the concerns had been brought forward.
From the author’s perspective, this moment affirmed that her earlier January 2021 “Me Too”-style email had not been solely about prior training-related concerns, but had always been intended to foreshadow and ultimately disclose an alleged June 2020 sexual assault involving a colleague, and later, after developing additional concerns, to raise awareness regarding Parth Gandhi. While the author experienced this as a form of acknowledgment, she also describes feeling frustration that, in her view, earlier opportunities for intervention had not been taken. She interpreted surrounding statements about protecting the field of psychedelic science as reflecting concern about reputational impact and, potentially, as discouraging further disclosure. The author emphasizes that these interpretations are her own and are based on the broader context of events she has described throughout this account.
November 2022 - February 2023, Police Reporting, Recruitment to SLCPD Investigations Into Parth Gandhi PhD, and Perpetrator Denials...
From November 2022 through February 2023, the author was extensively engaged in preparing and submitting a series of police reports detailing the previous several years of alleged harm, including episodes perceived as negligence and subsequent retaliation. Following a professional presentation on psychedelic medicine in early November 2022 by Ben Lewis MD, the author experienced the messaging as discouraging further reporting, interpreting statements emphasizing the importance of protecting the future of psychedelic treatments as an implicit signal not to publicly disclose concerns about prior institutional failures. This reinforced the author’s perception that formal reporting would not be undertaken by those in positions of authority and would instead fall solely to the author. As a result, multiple reports were filed outlining the full scope of events. Individuals identified in these reports denied involvement, which the author understood as influenced by concerns about professional consequences. The lack of acknowledgment or corroboration contributed to gaps in the investigative process, which the author believes may have limited opportunities for more timely intervention against Parth Gandhi PhD.
March/April 2023, FBI Outreach...
With police and state licensing investigations underway, the author had completed a comprehensive series of reports by early 2023 documenting the full chronology of events, including an initial assault in 2020, subsequent episodes of retaliation and reports that Parth Gandhi PhD was dangerous, potentially murderous, in 2021, as well as escalating concerns in 2022 regarding Dr. Gandhi to support a belief that he was also a sexual risk. These concerns were reinforced when at least one additional community member came forward to file a report of sex abuse, further heightening the perceived level of danger. As the situation evolved, the author became increasingly concerned that the severity and urgency of the risk were not being adequately addressed through local investigative channels and reported fearing for her own safety, as well as that of the community. In response, the author sought federal involvement at the FBI, attempting to convey the complexity of the case, including the alleged retaliation and institutional failures. However, federal authorities were reportedly skeptical of the scope of the allegations and the characterization of risk, ultimately deferring back to local law enforcement without initiating a separate intervention. The author believes that greater transparency and acknowledgment from involved professionals at the University of Utah, including Dr. Ben Lewis, regarding the reported incidents and retaliation may have strengthened the case for federal involvement and potentially altered the course of subsequent events.
May 13, 2023, Parth Gandhi Completes Murder-Suicide Amidst Sex Assault Investigation...
On May 13, 2023, Parth Gandhi was involved in a fatal murder–suicide while an active sexual assault investigation was ongoing. Subsequent media coverage described multiple alleged incidents spanning different time periods, suggesting a broader pattern of concerning behavior. In the aftermath, the author learned that she had not been the sole recipient of threats, as Parth Gandhi’s former spouse, Leah Moses, reported a history of threats directed toward her and her family, culminating in the fatal event involving their son, Om Moses. Reports also indicated a recent custody change involving their adolescent child, which may have contributed to the circumstances surrounding the incident. The author further understood that Parth Gandhi had been facing increasing professional consequences and distancing from collaborators within the psychedelic field, in addition to the ongoing criminal investigation. Although these investigative processes were not public, the author states that after raising concerns in mid-2022, she was contacted directly by Parth Gandhi and confronted in August of that year, indicating that he had become aware of potential scrutiny at that time. The author remains uncertain how this information was disclosed, noting that knowledge of the concerns had been limited to a small group of professionals across several institutions. She believes that the possibility of a leak, combined with mounting legal and professional pressures, may have contributed to his perception of imminent consequences and influenced his actions Mother's Day weekend 2023 in addition to the results of his recent custody battle.
May/June 2023, The Heroine's Journey Through the Dark Night of the Soul...
The Aftermath of the Murder...
In the weeks following the May 2023 murder–suicide, the author experienced profound psychological distress. The death of 16-year-old Om Moses was deeply traumatic; while the author had long feared for her own safety, she had not known that Parth Gandhi had threatened others nor imagined that he could kill a child. In the aftermath, she encountered multiple social media posts from individuals connected to the Moses family indicating that survivors of sexual assault had begun reaching out to a liaison for the family; one such account reported that at least six survivors had come forward following the incident, despite only one survivor having been publicly identified in prior news coverage. During this time, the author was contacted by former Utah state senator Steve Urquhart of the Divine Assembly, who stated that after the author had reported concerns on July 31, 2022, he and others had organized efforts to gather accounts from survivors. He indicated that he had identified at least 30 individuals describing various forms of sexual harm attributed to Parth Gandhi, with reports dating back to the 1990s. Urquhart described the author as a “hero” for her actions, emphasizing that her reporting had helped bring these patterns to light.
Despite this characterization, the author experienced the period as what she later described as a “dark night of the soul.” Rather than feeling affirmed, she was overwhelmed by grief, guilt, anger, and a deep sense of disillusionment. She felt burdened by the knowledge of the harm that had occurred and frustrated by what she perceived as failures of accountability among professional peers and institutional leadership, which she believed had undermined earlier opportunities for effective intervention. At the same time, this period marked the beginning of a long and difficult healing process. Over the ensuing years, the author engaged in sustained efforts toward recovery, integration, and meaning-making. By 2026, she reports having reached a place where she is able to share this account publicly, framing it not only as a record of events but also as part of an ongoing journey toward healing, truth-telling, and advocacy.
September 2023,UPSI Invites, Chilled Speech, Silencing, and University Legal Threats...
In the months following the May 2023 tragedy, the author continued to struggle psychologically while investigations into prior retaliation and related events remained ongoing. During this period, she received an email outreach on September 12, 2023, from the Utah Psychedelic Science Initiative, a University of Utah–affiliated program led by Dr. Benjamin Lewis, inviting her to attend an October 5, 2023 talk titled Listening to Ayahuasca. The email thread included multiple individuals associated with the University of Utah, including peers previously connected to the author’s reports, as well as the now-deceased Parth Gandhi, reflecting the continued use of older distribution lists. At that time, the author had already received institutional directives limiting contact and had likewise requested no further communication. She responded to the outreach to reiterate that she did not wish to be contacted and to express concerns about what she perceived as failures to act on reported sexual assault and retaliation, which she believed had impeded meaningful investigation and accountability in the Parth Gandhi case.
Following her response, there was an effort by the University of Utah to pursue harassment-related action against the author for replying to the unsolicited email. The Salt Lake City Police Department declined to press charges, determining that her response did not meet criteria for harassment and that she had the right to reply to communication initiated by the institution. The author experienced this sequence as a continuation of prior retaliatory dynamics and perceived these actions as attempts by the university to chill her speech and silence her account of events, particularly as they related to allegations of negligence, retaliation, and failures to intervene.
July 1, 2024,University Refusals to Give Statements, Denied Subpoenas, Ongoing Investigations, and an Alleged Rapist Made HMHI Medical Director...
On July 1, 2024, amid ongoing investigations into the author’s reported June 2020 sexual assault and related allegations of retaliation, negligence, and failures to act on earlier reports of potential violence and sexual misconduct, the University of Utah Huntsman Mental Health Institute announced the appointment of the author’s alleged perpetrator, Stamatios Stentino, MD, as a medical director. It is important to note that at the time of this appointment multiple faculty at the University of Utah had been notified of this rape including, but not limited to, Ben Lewis MD, Mark Rapaport MD, Brent Kious MD, and Paul Carlson MD. For the author, seeing an individual she had reported for sexual assault elevated to a leadership position within an institution she had valued was profoundly distressing. She interpreted this development as further evidence of what she perceived to be a pattern of negligence among university faculty and leadership, including failures to respond appropriately to reported harms in 2021 and 2022. Within this context, the author specifically identifies Dr. Benjamin Lewis as someone she believes continued to engage in retaliatory behavior, including actions she perceived as attempts to chill her speech and discourage or suppress her efforts to bring forward her account. The author understood these dynamics as reflecting a broader institutional tendency to prioritize professional reputations and internal cohesion over accountability, and experienced the denial or minimization of her account as deeply psychologically traumatic.
In response, the author became increasingly motivated to continue whistleblowing and public outreach to raise awareness about alleged harms and misconduct within the psychedelic and academic communities. However, she perceived that her efforts gained little traction during this period. According to her account, institutional responses remained limited, with involved faculty declining to provide statements despite ongoing investigative processes that had been active since late 2022 and had included repeated requests for testimony. The author interpreted this lack of cooperation as a continuation of negligence and obstruction. She further describes a pattern in which attempts were made to characterize her responses or communications as inappropriate, which she experienced as efforts to intimidate or silence her. In her view, the prolonged nature of these proceedings, combined with what she perceived as continued retaliatory actions and attempts to suppress her narrative—including those she attributes to Dr. Benjamin Lewis—placed significant psychological and financial strain on her and contributed to ongoing barriers to accountability.
August 27, 2024, University of Utah Chilling of Speech, Silencing, and Attempted Charges...
On August 27, 2024, after pursuing additional outreach to local physicians and hospitals seeking support regarding an alleged June 2020 MDMA-facilitated sexual assault involving University of Utah HMHI faculty member Stamatios Dentino, MD, as well as subsequent experiences of retaliation in 2021—including a June 7, 2021 hazing incident and a reported recreation of the Rosenhan experiment with alleged medical misconduct during the summer of 2021 attributed to Dr. Benjamin Lewis—the author received notification from the University of Utah that felony stalking and harassment charges would be pursued against her. The author understood this effort to be initiated through the University of Utah’s General Counsel, Scott Smith, JD. The stated rationale, as conveyed to her, was that because she had published details of these events on a website and shared professional networks existed, it was foreseeable that individuals referenced in her account could encounter the material, which the university characterized as stalking behavior.
The author was subsequently contacted by the Salt Lake City Police Department, which advised that her actions did not meet criteria for stalking or harassment and indicated that they would remain neutral. In that discussion, the author described her work as a form of endurance and performance art grounded in social justice traditions, referencing Emma Sulkowicz’s 2014 Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight)—a protest in which the artist carried a mattress across campus to highlight institutional responses to sexual assault—and the philosophy of satyagraha, a form of nonviolent resistance centered on transparency, refraining from harm or insult, and appealing to the conscience of others in pursuit of truth. The Salt Lake City Police Department affirmed that her activities fell within her First Amendment rights to free speech, while recommending that she obtain legal counsel to ensure her work remained appropriately framed. The author further reports that both local law enforcement and the Utah Division of Professional Licensing were supportive of her role as a witness in related matters and did not pursue action against her licensure. Nevertheless, the university’s attempt to initiate felony charges caused significant psychological distress. At the same time, it strengthened her resolve to continue reporting and public outreach, which intensified as she sought broader support to address what she describes as ongoing harms and risks to the community.
October 2024 - January 2025, Delayed Statements, Extended Investigations, and Psychological Fracturing...
From October 2024 through January 2025, as the University of Utah investigation stretched from its fall 2022 origins into a third winter, the author describes becoming psychologically exhausted by repeated delays, denials, and the continued refusal of involved faculty to provide statements. Over this period, multiple subpoenas had been issued by the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) requesting testimony from peers and faculty; according to the author, these requests were repeatedly met with denials, non-responses, or delays that extended the investigative timeline. In trauma literature, this kind of response to a survivor’s disclosure is often described as secondary victimization; researchers have written that negative, blaming, or dismissive reactions can feel like a “second assault” or “second rape,” and are associated with greater psychological harm, silence, and trauma-related symptoms. Related research on institutional betrayal likewise shows that when an institution fails to prevent harm or respond supportively to reported wrongdoing, survivors often experience intensified anxiety, dissociation, and other trauma effects. In that context, the author experienced the denial of her account—not only of the alleged June 2020 MDMA-facilitated assault involving Stamatios Dentino, MD, but also of the 2021–2024 episodes she describes as retaliation, chilling of speech, and silencing by Dr. Benjamin Lewis, Scott Smith, JD, and other University of Utah faculty—as profoundly fracturing. To have one’s reality denied after reporting rape and related harms can be psychologically devastating, because it transforms the original injury into an ongoing struggle for recognition, credibility, and basic human acknowledgment. By this stage, the author felt worn down not only by the underlying events, but by what she understood as a prolonged institutional effort to outlast, minimize, and discredit her.
The author understood her broader advocacy project as an effort to expose rape culture at the University of Utah: that is, a social and institutional climate in which sexual violence is minimized, normalized, excused, or displaced onto victims through rape myths, victim-blaming, and protection of powerful insiders. Scholarly and educational sources describe rape culture in these terms, and national campus data continue to show that sexual violence remains a major problem in higher education, with substantial rates of assault reported among students. In the author’s view, the alleged negligence of her peers in the Parth Gandhi matter, the promotion of Stamatios Dentino to leadership, the repeated refusal of doctors and faculty to provide statements in response to DOPL subpoenas, and the actions she attributes to Dr. Benjamin Lewis and Scott Smith, JD, to chill speech and suppress her narrative together illustrated that culture. Public reporting has also documented prior University of Utah failures in responding to serious safety concerns, including the killing of Lauren McCluskey after ignored warnings and institutional shortcomings identified in the Zhifan Dong case. Against that backdrop, the author came to believe that doctors’ negligence, institutional silence, and refusal to cooperate had not only harmed her personally but had also tangentially contributed to broader community risk. By the winter of 2025, she no longer felt she could continue enduring the emotional burden of carrying the narrative alone.
February/March 2025, Psychological Collapse, Case Closure, and DOPL Clearance
In February and March of 2025, the author describes reaching a point of profound psychological distress, culminating in what she characterizes as a psychological collapse that required medical attention and significant support. During this period, she reports that a DOPL investigator informed her that University of Utah faculty and associated peers were denying all aspects of her reported experiences, including the alleged June 2020 MDMA-facilitated sexual assault involving Stamatios Dentino, MD, as well as the series of actions she describes as retaliation by Dr. Benjamin Lewis and other university affiliates from 2021 through 2025. The author also reports that she had previously submitted a complaint to the University of Utah Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) and was notified around this time that the office would not be pursuing an investigation. She understood communications from University of Utah General Counsel Scott Smith, JD, as inconsistent with prior interactions regarding her status, which contributed to her sense of distress.
According to the author, the DOPL investigator conveyed that statements obtained thus far reflected a lack of acknowledgment from involved parties and cautioned that further proceedings might remain adversarial. The author describes the experience of having her account denied as intensely painful and destabilizing, consistent with what is often referred to in trauma literature as secondary victimization. Given her level of psychological exhaustion and vulnerability at that time, she elected to pause and close the investigative process in order to prioritize her own well-being. Following the closure of these matters, DOPL conducted a review related to her fitness for practice. The author reports that DOPL ultimately closed that review without intervention and encouraged her to continue focusing on recovery, with the option to return to professional practice when she felt sufficiently supported and prepared to do so.
Spring 2025 - October 2026, The Long Road Toward Healing and Recovery...
Tear off the mask. Your face is Glorious. -Rumi
From spring 2025 through October 2026, the author devoted herself to a sustained and intentional process of healing and recovery. This period involved a combination of social support, spiritual reflection, and integrative approaches to mental health and well-being. She engaged in mindfulness-based practices, including completing an extended course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) over this timeframe, which provided a structured foundation for cultivating presence, emotional regulation, and resilience. This healing process was undertaken with the intention of preparing for a return to clinical practice, initially planned for spring 2026. Alongside these practices, the author continued to work with experienced professionals in psychology and psychiatry and found particular benefit in ongoing therapeutic relationships during late 2025 into 2026. Through this combination of clinical support, contemplative practice, and narrative processing, she gradually began to restore a sense of stability, coherence, and meaning following the profound psychological challenges of the preceding years.
November 2025, The Cost of Reporting University Harms: Retaliation, Employment Sabotage, and Erasure...
In November 2025, the author learned that she had been removed from the alumni listings of the University of Utah Adult Psychiatry Residency Training Program. She experienced this as a significant and deeply distressing development, which she perceived as consistent with prior patterns of professional and interpersonal harm described throughout this narrative. In her view, this action contributed to a sense of erasure and compounded the psychological impact of earlier events, including the June 2020 sexual assault she reports having experienced, as well as subsequent episodes of alleged retaliation and adverse treatment by Dr. Benjamin Lewis and associated peers over the following years. The author experienced this as a form of secondary victimization, further intensifying the emotional burden of these cumulative experiences. At the same time, this moment served as a turning point. It reinforced her commitment to her healing process and strengthened her resolve to prepare for a return to clinical practice, while also continuing efforts to address and bring awareness to these harms in support of her own recovery and the broader community.
December 2025 - January 2026, Continued Healing and Recovery...
From December 2025 through January 2026, the author traveled abroad to Southeast Asia to further support her healing following the June 2020 sexual assault she reports having experienced, as well as the subsequent years of alleged retaliation and professional harm involving Dr. Benjamin Lewis and University of Utah faculty. During this time, she engaged in the study and practice of yoga, along with a range of integrative and holistic modalities, including movement-based meditation, dance therapy, diverse meditation practices, and breathwork techniques. The author notes that this period of healing was both physically and emotionally demanding, particularly as it marked her first time traveling internationally since 2021. At the same time, she experienced it as a deeply important phase of recovery. The work undertaken during this period contributed to a renewed sense of embodiment, stability, and resilience, and played a foundational role in preparing her for a planned return to clinical practice in the spring of 2026 following several years of cumulative psychological and professional challenges.
February - April 2026, Continued Healing, Return to Practice, and the Birth of Psychedelic Ethics Review...
From February through April 2026, the author continued to pursue healing through ongoing therapy, structured support, and integrative practices. During this period, she completed a Mindfulness-Based Compassion (MBC) course with a local expert and focused intentionally on preparing for a return to clinical practice. In parallel, she dedicated time to reopening complaints with the University of Utah Office of Equal Opportunity, with the goal of seeking accountability and meaning from the harms she reports having experienced, including the June 2020 sexual assault involving Stamatios Dentino, MD, as well as subsequent episodes of alleged retaliation by multiple University of Utah faculty, including Dr. Benjamin Lewis, from 2021 through the present. These efforts were undertaken both as part of her personal healing process and with the intention of contributing to broader community awareness and safety.
Through this recovery process, the author articulates a broader ethical reflection directed toward healthcare providers, faculty, and members of the community. She emphasizes what she views as a shared ethical responsibility to report harms, prioritize patient and community safety, and set aside personal reputation or institutional loyalty when confronted with credible concerns. In her perspective, failures to acknowledge and report earlier warnings and alleged episodes of retaliation may have limited the effectiveness of investigations and contributed to missed opportunities for intervention. She reflects on the profound loss experienced by the community, including the death of Om Moses and its impact on his family, and expresses the belief that such outcomes underscore the importance of transparency, accountability, and timely reporting.
In April 2026, as part of this process of meaning-making and advocacy, the author developed PsychedelicEthicsReview.com. The site was created with the intent of helping investigators more fully understand and contextualize the complexities of the case, while also bringing attention to patterns of harm within the community. Through this effort, the author aims to promote awareness, accountability, and the protection of others moving forward. She expresses the hope that this work may contribute to positive change both within the broader community and within the University of Utah system, where she believes longstanding cultural issues related to the handling of harm and reporting have persisted across multiple instances over time.
The author states that sharing this narrative is part of her own healing process as well as an effort to support others who have experienced harm. She offers a message to survivors that they are not alone and that recovery is possible, even after profound trauma. Readers are encouraged to access available support resources, including crisis lines and recovery services, and to continue exploring the broader ethical discussion of these events through the materials provided on the site.
This is the untold story behind the Parth Gandhi PhD murder-suicide and sex assault cases.
Thank you for taking the time to read and engage with this narrative. In doing so, you become part of a broader effort toward understanding, healing, and ethical reflection. This work is both a personal account and a contribution to ongoing conversations about truth, accountability, and the responsible development of psychedelic medicine.
While psychedelic therapies hold significant promise for healing, they also carry risks—particularly in contexts involving vulnerability, altered states, and power dynamics. Ethical practice in this space requires vigilance, transparency, and a shared commitment to safety.
If you are a survivor of harm—whether related to psychedelic experiences, physical violence, domestic abuse, or sexual assault—please know that you are not alone. Support is available. If you choose to report, you may request a victim advocate to help ensure you understand your rights, access resources, and are supported throughout the process.
We invite you to further explore the ethical dimensions of these cases. Please review the analysis below, visit related pages, and engage with our case study, “Discussion: Psychedelic Ethics in Utah,” for a more comprehensive examination.
This project is shared in the spirit of awareness, accountability, and the belief that ethical reflection can help create safer, more compassionate systems of care.
A Final Word Before Discussion...
This site is not intended as a forum for condemnation of any individual on institution, including Dr. Benjamin Lewis, Dr. Stamatios Dentino, Parth Gandhi, PhD, and their peers, or the University of Utah as a whole. Rather, it is presented as a platform for ethical reflection and analysis of the actions, decisions, and systemic responses described within this narrative. While the author recognizes that certain reported actions and institutional responses raise serious ethical concerns, the purpose of this work is to foster thoughtful discussion, promote accountability, and encourage higher standards of safety, transparency, and professional responsibility within clinical and academic communities. The aim is not to assign moral labels, but to examine how harm can occur, how systems respond, and how future outcomes might be improved.
An ethical analysis of the concerns related to Dr. Benjamin Lewis is provided below. Readers are also invited to visit the Case Discussion: Psychedelic Ethics in Utah page for a more comprehensive exploration of the broader ethical issues raised across these cases.
When Doctor's Harm: Ethics Evaluation
Alleged Ethical Failures in Reporting, Institutional Response, and Retaliation (AMA & APA Framework)
Based on the author’s account, the handling of reported sexual assault, subsequent allegations of retaliation, and institutional responses raises potential ethical concerns under both the American Medical Association Code of Medical Ethics and the American Psychiatric Association Principles of Medical Ethics With Annotations Especially Applicable to Psychiatry.
1. Failure to Act on Reported Sexual Assault and Associated Safety Concerns (Duty to Protect)
The author reports that a June 2020 MDMA-facilitated sexual assault involving Stamatios Dentino, MD was reported through institutional channels, including the University of Utah Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO), but was not pursued for investigation.
The author further describes subsequent concerns regarding ongoing risk, retaliation, and broader patterns of harm that were not escalated in a manner she experienced as protective.
Under AMA ethical guidance emphasizing duties to protect patients and the public, and APA principles prioritizing safety and prevention of harm, failure to meaningfully investigate or escalate reports of sexual assault and associated risks may represent a lapse in professional responsibility.
If substantiated, timely investigation and intervention may have altered subsequent risk exposure.
2. Alleged Retaliation and Chilling of Speech Following Reporting
The author describes repeated episodes from 2021 through 2025 in which she experienced retaliation after raising concerns, including alleged efforts by Dr. Benjamin Lewis, Scott Smith, JD, and other University of Utah affiliates to discourage reporting, characterize her communications as inappropriate, or pursue legal action.
These actions are described as having a chilling effect on speech and disclosure.
APA ethics explicitly prohibit harassment, exploitation, and retaliatory behavior, and emphasize the obligation to protect individuals who raise concerns in good faith.
If substantiated, retaliation against a reporting party may constitute a significant ethical violation and create systemic risk by discouraging future reporting.
3. Denial of Reported Harm and Secondary Victimization
The author reports that multiple individuals and institutional representatives denied all aspects of her account, including the alleged assault and subsequent retaliation.
In trauma and ethics literature, the denial or dismissal of reported sexual assault is often described as secondary victimization, which can result in additional psychological harm.
AMA and APA ethical principles emphasize honesty, integrity, and the obligation to evaluate reports of harm objectively and without bias.
Dismissing reported harm without adequate investigation, if substantiated, may represent a failure of ethical responsibility in both clinical and institutional contexts.
4. Failure to Respond to Regulatory Inquiry and Subpoenas (Collegial Accountability)
The author reports that from 2022 through early 2025, the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) issued multiple subpoenas requesting statements from University of Utah faculty and affiliated physicians.
According to the author, these requests were repeatedly denied, delayed, or otherwise not fulfilled in a timely manner.
AMA ethics emphasize that physicians have a duty to report and cooperate with oversight bodies when concerns about colleague conduct arise.
Failure to participate in regulatory processes, if substantiated, may reflect a breakdown in collegial accountability and impede efforts to investigate and mitigate risk.
5. Institutional Delay and Potential Obstruction of Investigative Processes
The author describes prolonged investigative timelines extending from fall 2022 through early 2025, with repeated delays attributed to lack of participation from involved parties.
External legal perspectives communicated to the author suggested that such delays could function to prolong proceedings and increase psychological and financial burden on the reporting party.
While intent cannot be determined, extended delays in responding to safety-related investigations raise ethical concerns regarding institutional responsibility to facilitate timely, good-faith inquiry into reported harm.
6. Mischaracterization of the Reporting Party and Credibility Bias
The author alleges that her reports were at times reframed or dismissed in ways that affected her perceived credibility.
AMA and APA ethics caution against allowing bias, stigma, or irrelevant personal characteristics to influence evaluation of reported harm.
Failure to assess reports based on their substantive content rather than perceived credibility of the reporter, if substantiated, may constitute an ethical lapse in impartial judgment.
7. Institutional Promotion and Recognition of Alleged Perpetrator During Ongoing Investigation
The author reports that in July 2024, Stamatios Dentino, MD was appointed to a leadership position at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute during an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct.
From an ethical perspective, promotion or elevation of an individual under active investigation for serious allegations may raise concerns regarding due diligence, risk assessment, and institutional commitment to safety.
If substantiated, such actions may conflict with ethical obligations to prioritize patient welfare and public trust.
8. Failure to Support Reporting Pathways and Protection of Whistleblowers
The author describes attempts to report concerns through multiple channels, including OEO, DOPL, and law enforcement, while simultaneously experiencing what she perceived as resistance, denial, or retaliatory response.
Both AMA and APA ethical frameworks emphasize the importance of clear reporting pathways and protection of individuals who raise concerns.
If reporting systems are perceived as inaccessible, ineffective, or punitive, this may discourage disclosure and increase systemic risk.
9. System-Level Ethical Concerns Regarding Safety Culture
Beyond individual actions, this case raises broader concerns about institutional and professional culture, including:
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Whether reporting pathways were effective and responsive
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Whether safety concerns were escalated appropriately
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Whether individuals raising concerns were protected
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Whether professional or reputational considerations influenced response
Ethical frameworks in both medicine and psychiatry emphasize that responsibility for safety extends beyond individuals to systems and institutions.
Summary
If the author’s account is substantiated, the sequence of events may reflect breakdowns across multiple ethical domains, including duty to protect, response to reported sexual assault, prevention of retaliation, cooperation with regulatory oversight, and institutional accountability.
The author further asserts that earlier acknowledgment of reported harms and more timely reporting to appropriate authorities may have strengthened investigative efforts and potentially altered risk trajectories.
These concerns highlight the importance of ethical vigilance, transparency, and accountability—not only at the individual level, but across professional networks and institutional systems responsible for safeguarding patient and public safety.
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Disclaimer
Content on Psychedelic Ethics Review reflects the author’s perspectives and is for informational purposes only. Some statements describe alleged events based on personal accounts and available information and have not been proven in a court of law unless stated otherwise.
Under U.S. law, all individuals are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise in a court of law. Allegations of this nature can be difficult to substantiate without corroborating evidence or testimony, and individuals may choose not to provide statements or may deny such claims.
This site does not provide medical or legal advice. Content is shared in good faith to support discussion of ethics, accountability, and safety.