Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Uma R. Chatterjee, MS, MHPS is an award-winning mental health neuroscientist, science communicator, and lived experience advocate. After earning her undergraduate degree (as a non-traditional student + past college dropout) + MS in Neuroscience at the University of Texas–Dallas, she is currently a 3rd year PhD candidate + NIH TL1 Predoctoral Fellow in Dr. Michael Cahill’s laboratory at UW-Madison’s Neuroscience Training Program. Uma’s dissertation research harnesses her dual expertise as a researcher with lived experience (RWLE) + utilizes reverse-translational approaches to probe the genetic + mechanistic underpinnings of neuropsychiatric disorders, with a primary focus on OCD pathophysiology & additional projects spanning bipolar disorder, depression, + schizophrenia. Conducting among the first known human brain OCD protein quantification studies, she works from biochemical analyses of postmortem human tissue to recapitulating sex- & region-specific mechanistic findings in mice across behavior, circuit function, synaptic plasticity, & pharmacological rescue. Her ultimate goal is to study + develop novel therapeutic targets for OCD with particular interests in precision psychiatry, neuromodulation, & psychedelics. Above all, her hope is to help lessen unnecessary human suffering. Most importantly, Uma’s work is deeply informed by her own lived experience with lifelong severe mental illnesses + neurodivergence—including clinically extreme OCD, PTSD, treatment-resistant depression, bulimia, + ADHD—young-adult cancer, chronic illness, & disability. She serves in several global leadership + advisory roles, including current service as a council member for One Mind & board member for the Society for Neuroscience’s Upper Midwest Chapter, and previously as Past President of OCD Wisconsin (IOCDF affiliate & 501-c3 nonprofit) & Advocate for the International OCD Foundation, where she leads outreach initiatives through science communication & advocacy and advances mental health equity in historically excluded populations. A globally invited speaker, Uma has delivered more than 150 presentations – including keynote addresses, plenary lectures, research seminars, & panels – for events + audiences worldwide. She hosts the mental health podcast ‘A Chat with Uma’ with tens of thousands listeners in 75+ countries worldwide, & her lived-experience-informed mental health science communication + advocacy have reached millions across organizational & global media platforms including NIMH, NAMI, One Mind, Ologies, ABC, APA’s Speaking of Psychology, ACNP, SfN & NOCD.
Third-year PhD Candidate in the Neuroscience Training Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the laboratory of Dr. Michael E. Cahill. Thesis advisory committee: Drs. Michael E. Cahill, Brian Baldo, Carolyn I. Rodríguez, and Cody J. Wenthur. Successfully advanced to PhD candidacy in May 2026 following completion of my preliminary examination, including successful defense of both my thesis proposal and outside area paper, Translational Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic and Psychoplastogenic Compounds in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. My thesis proposal, Bridging Genetic Risk to Neurobiological Mechanisms: A Region-Specific, Reverse-Translational Approach to OCD Pathophysiology, integrates molecular, circuit-level, behavioral, pharmacological, and human postmortem approaches to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), with a particular focus on corticostriatal circuitry, synaptic organization, and region- and sex-specific mechanisms of compulsive-like behavior. Broadly, my work aims to establish a cross-species, reverse-translational framework linking genetic risk to neurobiological dysfunction in OCD through region-specific viral-mediated gene manipulation in mice alongside protein-level analyses in human postmortem brain tissue. In parallel, my work integrates science communication and lived-experience-informed research approaches to help bridge the gap between mechanistic neuroscience and the communities most impacted by serious mental illness. As a researcher with lived experience of OCD, my work is deeply motivated by the urgent need to improve mechanistic understanding, reduce stigma and misunderstanding surrounding OCD, and accelerate development of more precise and biologically grounded interventions.
I am pursuing my Ph.D in Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, through the Neuroscience Training Program in the School of Medicine & Public Health. I am conducting my thesis research in Dr. Michael Cahill’s laboratory, and completed rotations in the labs of Drs. Ned Kalin, M.D., Justin Wolter, Ph.D, and Michael Cahill, Ph.D. Through my continuing neuroscience education & research, I aim to further elucidate the neurobiological substrates of understudied psychiatric disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder & post-traumatic stress disorder, thus developing novel therapeutic targets for the treatments of these severe illnesses. I also aim to further explore the mechanisms of action that drive psychedelic and psychoplastogen compounds, thus further understanding their potential therapeutic applications for psychiatric disorders. Dissertation Advisory Committee: - Michael Cahill, Ph.D (chair & advisor) - Carolyn Rodríguez, M.D., Ph.D (External - Stanford) - Cody Wenthur, Pharm.D, Ph.D - Brian Baldo, Ph.D I am concurrently earning a Ph.D Minor in Life Sciences Communication from the UW Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
As Founder and Chair of Mental Illness in STEM, I lead the creation, vision, and strategic direction of an international initiative that provides mentorship, community, professional development, and advocacy training for researchers and STEM professionals with lived experience of serious mental illness. I oversee all programming for the Community of Practice, guide the leadership team, design multi-year mentorship and training pipelines, author high-impact research and thought-leadership articles for the group, and represent the initiative across scientific, nonprofit, and policy sectors. My role includes developing external consultancies, leading lived-experience–inclusion trainings for major scientific audiences, and building resource hubs and long-term funding pathways. I also created and and am spearheading the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) RWLE-Designated Near-Peer Mentorship Award and the accompanying ACNP–One Mind partnership, leading the development, design, and implementation of this pioneering initiative, including RWLE-specific training integration, mentor and mentee support structures, and the broader lived-experience professional development curriculum that anchors the award.
I am incredibly honored, grateful, and thrilled to join the One Mind Lived Experience Council, a pioneering initiative bringing together a group of exceptional individuals who have successfully navigated severe mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. These members are not only leaders in their professional fields but also champions of mental health advocacy, bringing a wealth of personal and professional insights to support One Mind Accelerator startups, One Mind At Work members, and the Rising Star Awards research initiative. The primary goal of the One Mind Lived Experience Council is to provide invaluable lived experience-based insights and professional expertise to help One Mind Accelerator startups, One Mind At Work members, and Rising Star Award research programs thrive. By leveraging their unique perspectives and extensive networks, council members guide them in developing products, services, workplaces, and research programs that genuinely address the needs of those living with mental health conditions. They also help startups access key leaders in advocacy and science, as well as broader lived experience communities, ensuring that innovations, workplaces, and research programs are both impactful and inclusive. I am honored to join such an impactful and interdisciplinary team of people who embody all of the values that drive me to do the work I do. I'm grateful for the opportunity to raise further awareness for and develop critical resources for historically underrepresented mental illnesses like OCD. It's a privilege to have the opportunity within OMLEC to TRULY harness my intersectional experiences as a mental health neuroscience researcher, advocate, science communicator, & most importantly, survivor with lived experience. I'm endlessly grateful to the OMLEC & One Mind for giving me this opportunity & welcoming me with open arms. I cannot wait for everything to come!
Hi! I'm Uma - a neuroscientist, researcher, board-certified Mental Health Peer Specialist, mental health advocate, organizer, community builder, communicator... and most importantly, someone with vast lived experiences with mental health, chronic illness, young-adult cancer, & survivorship. On this show, I bring all of my identities together to bring you honest and unfiltered conversations exploring our true human experiences in their fullest form. We bridge the gap on all things neuroscience, psychology, mental health, lived experience, advocacy, psychedelics, research, & more!
OCD and The Brain is an inter-disciplinary engagement project that aims to co-produce an engaging and interactive online toolkit for young people living with OCD and their parents to learn more about the brain and OCD. The purpose of the project is to overcome the disconnect between what the latest OCD research is focusing on, and the needs and focus of the OCD community. The project is being delivered by The Department of Imaging Neuroscience, led by Dr. Tobias Hauser in partnership with OCD Action and International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), and people with lived experience of OCD. The aims of this project are to: 1) Better understand how young people (YP) living with OCD and their parents/guardians view the brain’s role in OCD 2) Co-produce effective toolkits for parents/guardians and YP living with OCD to understand the neural mechanisms of OCD 3) Align our research to the need of those affected through stronger engagement with the OCD community The project will have three distinct phases: 1) Creative Workshops: A series of explorative workshops will create opportunities to share ideas and experiences between young people living with OCD, their parents/guardians and researchers. 2) Toolkit Co-production: Based on insights from the workshops, the team will the work closely with lived experts to co-develop two digital toolkits that will provide support and share the most up to date information and understanding with those living with OCD and their parents/guardians. 3) Toolkit Dissemination: The finalised toolkits will be freely available online through an engaging and interactive website comprised of both creative animations and explainer videos. This will be widely disseminated via our partners’ platforms, both nationally (OCD Action) and internationally (iOCDF). It will be embedded within existing support services and promoted by the charity support teams, and will be accompanied by a social media campaign.