Uma R. Chatterjee, M.S., MHPS

Biography

I’m a Ph.D student and ICTR/NIH TL1 Predoctoral Fellow in the Cahill Lab, studying the underlying mechanisms of debilitating neuropsychiatric conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). My ultimate goal is to study & develop novel therapeutic targets for OCD with a particular interest in the mechanisms of action driving psychedelic & psychoplastogenic compounds. Above all, I hope to help lessen unnecessary human suffering. I earned my M.S. in Neuroscience from University of Texas-Dallas, and earned my B.S. in psychology as a non-traditional student. My previous research in Dr. Ben Kolber’s lab studied the cellular- & systems-level mechanisms driving the hemispheric lateralization of the central amygdala in chronic pain. I also conducted psychedelic research to study the effects of psychedelic-assisted therapy for PTSD on comorbid OCD across several disciplines.

All of my work is informed by my lived experience with OCD, PTSD, cancer, chronic illnesses, and disabilities. My survivorship serves as the bedrock of my advocacy, carried out through my work as a public speaker, science communicator, & host of the podcast ‘A Chat with Uma.’ I serve on the Board of Directors for the Intercollegiate Psychedelics Network (IPN) as the Director of Strategy. I also serve as an Advocate for the International OCD Foundation and as Vice President of OCD Wisconsin, facilitating IOCDF initiatives through neurobiology education projects & raising awareness for OCD and mental health in historically excluded populations. I’m also a board member for Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Upper Midwest Chapter, organizing mental health science communication & outreach initiatives.