Uma R. Chatterjee, MS, MHPS
Uma R. Chatterjee, M.S., MHPS is an award-winning mental health neuroscientist, science communicator, and lived experience advocate. After earning her undergraduate degree as a non-traditional student and M.S. in Neuroscience at the University of Texas–Dallas, she is currently a Ph.D candidate and NIH TL1 Predoctoral Fellow in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Neuroscience Training Program. Working in Dr Michael Cahill’s laboratory, Uma’s thesis research utilizes reverse-translational approaches to probe the genetic and mechanistic underpinnings of neuropsychiatric disorders, with a primary focus on OCD pathophysiology and additional projects spanning bipolar disorder, MDD, and schizophrenia. Conducting the first known OCD protein quantification studies in the human brain, she works from biochemical analyses of postmortem human tissue to recapitulating sex- and region-specific mechanistic findings in mice across behavior, circuit function, synaptic plasticity, and pharmacological rescue. Her ultimate goal is to study and develop novel therapeutic targets for OCD with a particular interest in precision psychiatry, neuromodulation, and the mechanisms of action driving psychedelic compounds. Above all, her hope is to help lessen unnecessary human suffering.
Most importantly, Uma’s work is deeply informed by her lived experience with severe mental illnesses and neurodivergence (including clinically extreme OCD, PTSD, treatment-resistant depression, bulimia, and ADHD), young-adult cancer, chronic illness, and disability. She serves in several global leadership and advisory roles, including current service as a council member of One Mind and board member of the Society for Neuroscience’s Upper Midwest Chapter, and previously as Past President of OCD Wisconsin and Global Advocate for the International OCD Foundation, where she leads outreach initiatives through science communication and advocacy and advances mental health equity in historically excluded populations. A globally invited public speaker, she has delivered more than 150 presentations – including keynote addresses, plenary lectures, research seminars, and panels – for audiences at worldwide. She is the host of the mental health podcast A Chat with Uma, with listeners in 75+ countries worldwide, and her lived-experience-informed science communication and advocacy have reached millions through organizational and global media platforms including NIH/NIMH, NAMI, Ologies, ABC, APA’s Speaking of Psychology, and NOCD.
The One Mind Lived Experience Council is a group of inspiring individuals who have triumphed over severe mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder. Their mission is to provide invaluable lived experience-based insights and professional expertise to help One Mind Accelerator startups succeed.