06/11/2025
The countdown is on for the 2026 ASKP3 Annual Conference — the premier gathering for clinicians, researchers, and innovators shaping the future of ketamine and psychedelic-assisted therapies.
📅 January 29–31, 2026
📍 Austin Marriott Downtown
Focused on the theme, “Building the Gold Standard: Advancing Excellence in Ketamine Therapy and Informing the Psychedelic Future,” this year's Conference invites you to join a community dedicated to setting the benchmark for safe, effective, and ethical care.
Every session, panel, and conversation is designed to help you elevate your expertise, strengthen your professional network, and stay at the forefront of this rapidly evolving field. Here is a highlight from the agenda:
Keynote Speaker Session: Glutamate – The Spark Behind the Storm and the Stillness
Glutamate, the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, is increasingly recognized as a central mediator of both neural dysfunction and restoration. This presentation will examine the neurobiological underpinnings of glutamatergic signaling and its dysregulation across major psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. The session will review translational research elucidating how glutamate-driven excitotoxicity contributes to the “storm” of symptom pathology, while adaptive modulation of glutamatergic circuits may promote the “stillness” of neuroplastic recovery. Emphasis will be placed on current and emerging glutamate-targeting treatments—such as NMDA receptor modulators, AMPA potentiators, and metabotropic glutamate agents—and their implications for advancing precision and wellness-oriented psychiatry.
Speaker Spotlight: Rakesh Jain
Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH, is a Clinical Professor at the department of Psychiatry, at the Texas Tech University School of Medicine in Midland, Texas, and in private practice in Lewisville, Texas.
Dr. Jain attended medical school at the University of Calcutta in India. He then attended graduate school at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, where he was awarded a “National Institute/Center for Disease Control Competitive Traineeship." His research thesis focused on impact of substance abuse. He graduated from the School of Public Health in 1987 with a Masters of Public Health (MPH) degree.
He served a three-year residency in Psychiatry at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. He followed that by obtaining further specialty training, by undergoing a two-year fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In addition, Dr. Jain completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Research Psychiatry at the University of Texas Mental Sciences Institute in Houston. He was awarded the “National Research Service Award” for the support of this postdoctoral fellowship.
Dr. Jain has been involved in well over a hundred research projects studying the effects of medications on short-term and long-term treatment of depression, anxiety, pain/mood overlap disorders, ADHD, and psychosis in adult and child/adolescent populations. He has presented at the World Psychiatric Congress held in Prague and at the Depression and Pain Forum meetings in Costa Rica, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Greece, Brazil, Portugal, United Kingdom, and Argentina. He is the author of fifty-five articles published in various journals and magazines such as Journal of Psychiatric Research and Journal of Clinical Psychiatry among others, and has presented over twenty-five original research posters at various meetings such as the APA, ACNP, AACAP, US Psychiatric Congress, etc. He has co-authored six books that range from patient education, to cutting edge neurobiological findings in psychiatry and mental health.
He serves on several Advisory Boards focusing on drug development and disease state education. He was also recently the Chair of the US Psychiatric Congress, held in Las Vegas, and for several years has served as a member of the Steering Committee for US Psychiatric Annual Congress. He is a recipient of the “Public Citizen of the Year” award from the National Association of Social Workers, Gulf Coast Chapter in recognition of his community and peer education and championing of mental health issues. He was also recently awarded the “Extra Mile Award” by the school district in recognition of the service to the children of the school district and consultation to the teachers and counselors. At a U.S. Psychiatric Congress, held in San Diego, California, he was the recipient of the “Teacher of the Year Award.”
