Dr. Abraham Benavides is an internationally-recognized cannabis research expert and full-tuition merit scholar of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS ’19). He also studied Biology and Business Administration at Boston University.In 2016 Abe started the Cannabis as Medicine Interest Group at GWU SMHS, the first cannabis-focused education group at a US medical school. During medical school, he also earned a Health Policy Track certificate by advocating for the advancement of Hispanic public health and the interests of 50,000 US Hispanic physicians at the National Hispanic Medical Association on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.He continues to advocate for cannabis law reform and education in the US and Costa Rica. Since graduating, Dr. Abe has worked extensively in the cannabis industry as a medical reviewer, author, editor, and scientific advisor for leading cannabis and CBD organizations around the world. He also does remote cannabis coaching with Veriheal and the GW Center for Integrative Medicine.Dr. Benavides has authored original science articles, cannabis e-books, and CME courses for Veriheal, the largest online provider of medical cannabis cards in the US. He has coauthored, medically reviewed, updated, and overhauled over 500 scientific articles on cannabis, terpenes, and medical conditions. He's also written dozens of original cannabis science articles and created an educational YouTube video series with consumer research partner, CBD Oracle. Abe serves as lead medical reviewer and researcher for Veriheal, CBD Oracle, CannaKeys, and many other reputable cannabis and CBD websites with his educational content reaching a direct global audience of over 1 million patients.In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Dr. Benavides survived severe COVID-19 illness during his Family Medicine residency in Seattle and now lives with new disabilities including Long COVID, POTS, and PTSD. He since moved to Costa Rica to heal, be with his family, and upgrade his quality of life. He is open to remote work opportunities. To continue advocacy efforts, Dr. Abe was invited by SCC to be the youngest conference speaker at the 2022 Inaugural Costa Rica Cannabis Congress in the first year of legalization.In May 2023, Abe became internationally-recognized as Costa Rica's #1 cannabis scholar and the most knowledgeable doctor on the topic in the country by the Cannabis Science & Industry Center of the Americas.