Uma R. Chatterjee, M.S. | OCD＋Mental Health Neuroscience🧠SciComm

👋🏾 Hi friends, I’m Uma! 🤗 With so many new humans finding my little corner of the internet recently, I figured it’s time to (re-)introduce myself, my work, & our mission here! 🫶🏾 🌟On a high level, my goal is to bridge 🤝 mental health research, advocacy, and lived experience. I bring together all of my roles as a neuroscientist, researcher, board-certified mental health peer specialist, mental health advocate, science communicator, community builder, & *most importantly* a survivor with lived experience - to accessibly bridge the gap on all things neuroscience, psychology, mental health, lived experience, advocacy, p$ych3d3l!c$, research, and more! 🧠 As a neuroscientist & Ph.D student, I research the neurobiology of OCD, PTSD, & psych3d3lic/hallucinogenic compounds. 🙋🏽‍♀️ My psychiatric neurobiology research, global MHPS practice, and advocacy are all informed by my lived experience with severe psychiatric disorders (OCD, PTSD, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, bulimia, + more), young-adult cancer, chronic illnesses, disabilities, and my identities as a non-traditional student and 2nd generation South Asian immigrant. 📣 My survivorship serves as the bedrock of my advocacy, carried out through my work as an educator, science communicator, globally-invited public speaker, and host of the podcast ‘A Chat with Uma’ @AChatWithUma . ☀️ At the core of it all, I’m a human committed to understanding (& accepting) the human experience. Through everything I do & all the ways we engage, we build community by looking at our true, unfiltered, raw human experiences with vulnerability, curiosity, honesty, compassion, and empowerment. ➡️ Swipe through to learn all about my background, research, advocacy, & all of the ways I show up to work toward this mission! 🌈 🗣️ I advocate loudly, I care deeply about inclusion & bi-directional communication, and I thrive at the intersection of research & lived experience. In a world where it’s most accepted to be either/or a patient or scientist… I’m both + so much more. 🧬 I’m grateful for your love, support, and presence - and I cannot wait to continue building community with you all! 🥰🫶🏾

Uma has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a mental disorder marked by uncontrollable, unwanted, and recurring thoughts and repetitive mental or physical behaviors. For much of her life, she struggled to manage her symptoms. It wasn't until she found a therapist who really understood OCD, that her life began to change. “I’d been going through life thinking I was the most horrible person, especially because of the taboo intrusive thoughts I was having. It was such a transformative experience to realize, on the most fundamental level of self, that not all of my thoughts are real.” Learn more about Uma's story at ➡️ nimh.nih.gov/sciencenews #OCDweek #ocd #ocdawareness #mentalhealth #mentalillness

Award-winning neuroscientist @umarchatterjee M.S., MHPS is here to set the record straight: The fact that we don’t have any genes identified for OCD yet does *not* mean OCD isn’t real. In the latest episode of “Get to know OCD,” Uma joined us to break down the latest OCD research and explain why the OCD community’s participation in studies is crucial for future breakthroughs. She also shared how her 25-year struggle with OCD drives her to understand the disorder as deeply as possible. 🎙 Full episode link in bio! Have you ever considered participating in a study? Let us know in the comments! @iocdf #mentalhealth #realocd #exposureandresponseprevention

Beyond grateful to share a HUGE life update: I’m officially a PhD candidate!!! 🥹🎉 This week, I passed my qualifying exams! Becoming a PhD candidate is one of the biggest & most difficult milestones in the PhD process. Alongside this, this season has been one of the hardest & most intense of my life (including 3 grants in 3 weeks + a cancer relapse… overdue life update coming soon 😅) – making this milestone even more shocking to me. Studying OCD means everything to me bc of how much I’ve lived through + continue to live through to survive this horrific disorder every single day. My prelim defense was one of my BIGGEST exposures: confronting (in the most high-stakes & vulnerable way) nearly every intrusive thought OCD has ever tried to convince me was true about my character, capabilities, & values… while, in the most full-circle way, defending my dissertation proposal dedicated to studying this very disorder. I’m endlessly grateful to my mentoring team. Mike @cahill_lab has been the most compassionate, brilliant, & supportive thesis advisor who has uplifted me as my WHOLE self since day one – all my goals, priorities, & values of lived experience, science communication,+ advocacy alongside my science. He let me build my own OCD project from scratch in his lab & has unconditionally supported me in developing this work together in ways I could’ve never imagined during a PhD. Thank you to my incredible committee – Brian, Carolyn, & Cody – for being unbelievably generous, empowering, & supportive of my science + my whole self (+ passing me!). An especially HUGE thank you to Carolyn @crodriguezmdphd who has served as a 2nd mentor to me & gone out of her way to support me in countless ways no one would ever see. And a huge thank you to my lab, program, funding sources, loved ones, & everyone who has believed in & supported me! 🙏🏾
 As a past 20 y/o college dropout who never even imagined being alive this long… I still cannot wrap my head around this. Above all, I hope anyone living in the despair + hopelessness of severe mental illness knows how WORTHY + capable you are! 🫶🏾 NEXT: compete said dissertation in the next few years—one step closer to the PhD!🌈☀️

Recapping the #ACNP2026 Study Group, “Centering Lived Experience in Psychiatric Neuroscience Research: Challenges, Opportunities, and Calls to Action.” We asked the panelists, what is something NIH leadership could do to be more supportive of trainees with non-traditional career paths, which is common among researchers with lived experience of mental illness? The through line of their response: bring back diversity initiatives. @britton_rae @umarchatterjee @deffinger @drnoelvest

☀️ I’m SO honored to present at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) 2026 meeting next week in the Bahamas! 🧠🏝️ ACNP is the world’s leading organization + conference for mental health treatment + research, bringing together the world’s most distinguished mental health leaders to share, discuss, & learn about our field’s future. This will be my 3rd ACNP, AND my FIRST time presenting—such a surreal privilege as a 3rd year PhD student! Here’s where you can find me at ACNP 2026 👇🏾 1️⃣🎤 Study Group | Centering Lived Experience in Psychiatric Neuroscience Research: Challenges, Opportunities, & Calls to Action 📆 Tues. 1/13 — 9-11am 👉🏾 Presenters: Myself, @BrandonStaglin , Maya Schumer, @DEffinger , Nev Jones, @DrNoelVest , my thesis advisor Michael Cahill @Cahill_Lab , & our chair Eric Nestler @MountSinaiBrain 🔆 My presentation | Disclosing from Day One: Thriving Through a PhD in Neuroscience While Openly Living with Severe OCD, PTSD, & Treatment-Resistant Depression ☝🏾 This inaugural session builds directly on our recently published RWLE paper in ACNP’s NPP-DPN journal & represents a MONUMENTAL collective step forward for researchers with lived experience of serious mental illnesses + substance use disorders in our field! 2️⃣📊 Poster Presentation — Mechanistic and Translational Roles of PTPRG: Prefrontal Knockdown Drives Behavioral Activation Phenotypes in Mice & Reveals Sex-Specific Alterations in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder (W67) 📆 Wednesday 1/14 — 5-7pm ☝🏾 This will be my VERY first conference presentation of ANY part of my PhD thesis work in the @Cahill_Lab ! (And PS: surprise! I have a “side hustle” project outside of my main OCD thesis project[s]—and they go together in ways that I can’t wait to share more about 🥰) 🎖️I’m also incredibly honored to be a 2026 ACNP Near-Peer Mentorship Program awardee! It’s an immense privilege to receive this opportunity, & I’m deeply grateful for this multi-year mentorship, support, investment + belief in my career from ACNP so early 🙏🏾 Would love to see you at my study group or poster☀️ Cannot wait to meet everyone & learn SO much incredible science from our amazing field! 🙌🏾✨

“Lifesaving treatments helped me move from debilitating mental illness to a career in neuroscience. Research gave me a chance to reclaim my life.” — Uma Chatterjee, Wisconsin Medical research offers hope — and often a second chance. Read more on the Americans for Medical Research campaign website. Link in bio. #AmericansForMedicalResearch

As we reflect on 2025, one moment rises above the rest: the 31st One Mind Music Festival.⁠ ⁠ Presented by @bankofamerica and @bristolmyerssquibb , the festival took place on Saturday, September 13, welcoming more than 450 guests. Together, our community raised a record-breaking $4.1 million—the highest in the festival’s history—to accelerate mental health research and change lives around the world.⁠ ⁠ Set against the backdrop of @staglinfamilyvineyard in Napa Valley, leaders in science, philanthropy, business, and entertainment came together to prove what’s possible when music, purpose, and community unite. From an inspiring science and innovation symposium, presented by @kaiserpermanente and featuring a keynote from @wellcomeleap 's Regina Dugan and Susanne Ahmari, to @train 's unforgettable concert performance, made possible by @jamcellars , the day was filled with meaningful connections and conversations about the future of mental health science and research. ⁠ The annual One Mind Music Festival serves as a powerful reminder that mental health touches every community—and every single one of us. None of this would be possible without the generosity of our supporters, partners, and donors. Thank you for making this year truly extraordinary.⁠ ⁠ Relive the magic by watching this video recap and mark your calendars for the 32nd One Mind Music Festival on September 19, 2026.

Our friend @umarchatterjee shares some of her OCD diagnosis journey! 🧠 Uma is a neuroscientist and PHD student. She recently joined our panel at the Mental Health America conference to discuss our report, Remapping Recovery, which explores Gen Z, social media, and mental health. Look out for more videos with Uma in these next couple of weeks! ☺️ #pureo #pureocd #ocdrecovery #intrusivethoughts #compulsions #mentalhealth #ocd #cbt #emdr #talktherapy #erptherapy #exposuretherapy

In the latest episode of the All in the Mind podcast, @umarchatterjee shares her deeply personal experience with the aim of helping others understand OCD and receive the correct diagnosis and treatment. "The only thing we can do to combat shame is bring light to it." Listen to the episode at the link in bio.

Uma’s experience of OCD doesn’t fit the stereotype of handwashing and cleanliness. Instead, she’s bombarded with dangerous thoughts that are hard to talk about. Content warning: This video discusses child sexual abuse. If you need support, call @lifelineaustralia on 13 11 14. 🎤 @umarchatterjee and @sana_qadar . 🎧 Hear more on ABC Radio National’s All In The Mind now on the ABC listen app via the link in bio. #OCD #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #MentalHealth #IntrusiveThoughts

🌟@ABCAustralia @ABCRadioNational ’s new episode of All in the Mind, “Taboo intrusive thoughts: the unspoken aspects of OCD” is out NOW! 🧠 This episode dives DEEP into the parts of OCD most people have never even heard of – intrusive, unwanted, taboo thoughts that can feel terrifying, isolating, & impossible to share. It features the powerful lived experience of Martin Ingle @MartinDefinite , the compassionate clinical insight of psychiatrist Prof. Vlasios Brakoulias, & my own perspective as someone who survived clinically extreme OCD & now studies this condition as a neuroscientist.
 Awareness like this is absolutely vital. OCD remains one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses, with life-threatening consequences. People with OCD face an average 14-17 year delay before receiving an accurate diagnosis & evidence-based care. The shame, stigma, & misrepresentation of OCD – especially around taboo intrusive thoughts & mental compulsions – nearly took my life & robbed me of 25 years without proper diagnosis or treatment. Honest, large-scale, stigma-breaking education like this doesn’t just matter – it quite literally saves lives. 
I also want to honor the All in the Mind team for their extraordinary courage throughout this process. They didn’t shy away from a single taboo theme or uncomfortable truth; they leaned into the hardest parts of OCD with honesty, respect, compassion, & deep humanity. So many outlets hesitate to talk about OCD with real nuance, but @Sana_Qadar , @Rosie.ZKerr & the amazing AITM team created something rare: an episode grounded in truth, courage, & genuine hope that actively fights stigma by platforming, not censoring, these conversations & brings light to the unwarranted shame so many of us carry. This incredible episode models the kind of honest dialogue that helps people feel seen, understood, & less alone. 🙌🏾👏🏾 
It was such an honor to contribute to this episode, & I’m deeply grateful to Sana, the AITM team, @ABCRadioNational , & @ABCAustralia for their leadership in accurate, destigmatizing OCD education! 🙏🏾 
🎧 Tune in on @ABCRadioNational & all podcast platforms 👉🏾 link in bio! 🫶🏾