Manish Agrawal, MD, Co-Founder and CEO of Sunstone Therapies
Manish Agrawal, MD, brings an extensive academic, clinical, and research background and depth of experience to Sunstone that spans medicine, engineering, philosophy, and ethics as the Co-Founder and CEO of Sunstone Therapies.
Dr. Agrawal earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Auburn University, his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Alabama, and completed his Residency in Internal Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center, where he was also a Fellow in Health Care Research and Policy and Bioethics. He earned his M.A. in Philosophy from Georgetown University and a M. Sc. in Clinical Research from Duke University. He earned a Fellowship where he was appointed Chief Fellow at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health and Hematology and Medical Oncology. He also completed a Fellowship in Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center and was the first fellow accepted into both fellowships. Over the course of his studies and fellowships, Dr. Agrawal earned several honors: the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Society, Summa Cum Laude graduate, and Phi Kappa Phi honor society.
In addition to his role as CEO of Sunstone Therapies, Dr. Agrawal serves as the Research Director of Psychedelics at Adventist HealthCare, Inc. Since 2004, he has maintained hospital privileges at Shady Grove Medical Center and Suburban Hospital. Prior to Sunstone, Dr. Agrawal served as a Partner at Maryland Oncology Hematology, PA, for 18 years (2004 – 2022), where he treated thousands of patients while also serving as the Co-Director of Clinical Research for 17 years. He served on the board of Maryland Oncology Hematology and on their Executive Committee. He helped oversee the growth of the practice from five physicians to over 50, from two sites of service to eleven and is currently the largest provider of oncology care in the state of Maryland. He was a consultant for the National Institutes of Health at the National Cancer Institute’s Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center in Bethesda, a Senior Investigator at GU Malignancies Branch, Medical Oncology Clinical Research, and Senior Faculty Member for two years at the Department of Clinical Bioethics, Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health.
During his tenure as an oncologist, Dr. Agrawal focused primarily on the physical aspects of cancer treatment. Over time, he recognized the profound emotional and psychological toll that cancer exacted on patients and their families, exposing a critical gap in the comprehensive care they received. As research began to emerge demonstrating the transformative potential of psychedelic substances in treating complex mental health disorders—especially in life-altering conditions like cancer—Dr. Agrawal was inspired to explore these therapies as part of a holistic approach to healing. This realization drove his commitment to integrate mental health care into oncology, culminating in the founding of Sunstone Therapies and building the first purpose-built psychedelic therapy center in the United States. In 2020, Dr. Agrawal further advanced this vision by writing and leading the first modern-era group study using psilocybin in a community cancer center, paving the way for innovative and compassionate approaches to cancer care.
Dr. Agrawal combines extensive medical training with decades of clinical experience, having treated thousands of patients as a practicing oncologist. This background has given him a profound understanding of the complexities of patient suffering. Since transitioning his focus to psychedelic medicine, Dr. Agrawal has administered hundreds of treatments and overseen 12 distinct clinical trials across 9 indications, utilizing 6 different psychedelic compounds—not including ketamine—more than any other site in the country. This breadth of experience provides a deep expertise in the safety protocols essential for the effective and responsible use of these transformative therapies.
Dr. Agrawal is a recognized expert in the use and study of psychedelics. He currently serves on the State of Maryland Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances. Additionally, Dr. Agrawal provides consultation for two separate Department of Defense investigators; he also advises on the design and execution of their respective clinical trials: one exploring Ibogaine for PTSD and traumatic brain injury, and the other studying MDMA for the treatment of PTSD in active-duty military personnel at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Dr. Agrawal has been the principal investigator on 19 studies (Phase I, II and III) and has extensively published numerous articles in academic publications since 2002, including the Journal of the American Medical Association-Oncology (JAMA). Other publications include: Frontiers in Psychiatry, Cancer, Journal of Affective Disorders, Journal of Palliative Medicine and Medical Ethics.
This unique combination of rigorous medical practice, extensive research expertise, and deep operational experience in managing both a cancer center and a psychedelic therapy center, creates a powerful foundation for advancing a groundbreaking new field of medicine.
