Tyler R. Kjorvestad, MD

Professional Background

Tyler Kjorvestad, M.D., is an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He serves as Co-Medical Director of the Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic and Director of the Comprehensive Depression Assessment and Treatment Clinic (CDATC) at The University of Kansas Health System.

Dr. Kjorvestad joined the faculty in 2021 after completing his Internal Medicine-Psychiatry residency at KU Medical Center. He earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, where he mentored medical students and served as a supplemental instructor for organic chemistry, biochemistry, pathology, and pharmacology.

Dr. Kjorvestad’s is active in research and currently serves as the Director of Clinical Trials for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. His research interests include treatment-resistant depression and the use of psychedelic substances in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Psychedelic Psychiatry.

• BA, Liberal Arts, University of Missouri-Kansas City 6 year Combined BA/MD Program, Kansas City, MO
• MD, Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City 6 year Combined BA/MD Program, Kansas City, MO

• Medical Doctor (MD), Kansas State Board of Healing Arts
• Medical Physician/Surgeon (M.D.), Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts

• The University of Kansas Health System, Ambulatory Management Committee, Member, 2024 - Present
• KUMC, Compensation Committee, Member, 2022 - Present
• The University of Kansas Health System, Performance Improvement & Optimization Committee, Member, 2022 - Present

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Research

Overview

Dr. Kjorvestad’s research interests include treatment-resistant depression and the use of psychedelic substances in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Psychedelic Psychiatry.

• LND300-RECOVER: A Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Blinded Trial Demonstrating the Safety and Effectiveness of Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Therapy® System as Adjunctive Therapy Versus a No Stimulation Control in Subjects With Treatment-Resistant Depression, LivaNova, PI
• IQVIA ITI-007-505 CDA A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Lumateperone in the Treatment of Patients Major Depressive Disorder, IQVIA, PI
• Low Dose Ketamine for Acute Suicidal Ideation, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Foundation (SAEMF)

• Kjorvestad, Tyler., Ryen. 2022. Suicide Prevention and Emerging Interventions: Implications for Psychedelic Substances. The Journal of Psychedelic Psychiatry, 4 (1), 1-16. https://www.journalofpsychedelicpsychiatry.org/suicide-and-psychedelics
• McCullough, Alicia , Kjorvestad, Tyler., Ryen. 2023. Neuroinflammation and Depression: Kynurenine Pathway, BDNF, and the Implications for Psychedelic Therapies. The Journal of Psychedelic Psychiatry, 5 (3), 1-6. https://www.journalofpsychedelicpsychiatry.org/_files/ugd/e07c59_da90834edb514d4bb33944327460e7a5.pdf
• Agarwal, Ashu, Kjorvestad, Tyler., Ryen. 2024. Anti-inflammatory Effects of Ketamine in PTSD: A Review. The Journal of Psychedelic Psychiatry, 6 (2), 15-21. https://www.journalofpsychedelicpsychiatry.org/_files/ugd/e07c59_7d10287fb5284fc5aa752087a06a0040.pdf
• Bertroche, Adam, Kjorvestad, Tyler ., Ryen. 2020. A Review of the Psychotherapeutic Effects of Ayahuasca. The Journal of Psychedelic Psychiatry, 2 (1), 31-36. https://www.journalofpsychedelicpsychiatry.org/ayahuascareview
• Nissen, Benjamin., J, Bisel, Kelly., A, Kjorvestad, Tyler., Ryen. 2020. A Ketamine-Induced Episode of Insight: A Case Report. The Journal of Psychedelic Psychiatry, 2 (4), 15-18. https://www.journalofpsychedelicpsychiatry.org/case-report-ketamin-schizophrenia
• Wagle, Abigail, Kjorvestad, Tyler., Ryen. 2025. “Keep Your Wits About You” – Purposed Language and Terminology in Hallucinogenic Research and Therapy. The Journal of Psychedelic Psychiatry, 7 (1), 1-24