Uma R. Chatterjee, M.S., MHPS

Please share with anyone who cares about NSF support for graduate students and take 30 seconds to sign and leave a comment.

The deadline for the 2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Program is about one month away and literally no one can apply. #NSFGRFP

jasonjwilliamsny.github.io/grfp2025/

So excited for the first ever @onemindorg.bsky.social Summit on the Future of Mental Health Research! Led by brilliant CSO Dr. Tahilia Rebello to accelerate big ideas to impact 🧠💪🏼🧪

Tech check complete! 🎤

So excited for the @onemindorg.bsky.social Science and Music Festival keynote tomorrow! 🧠💗

Podcast episode description text reads: “On episode 51 of A Chat with Uma, I sit down with Dr. Boris Heifets, MD, PhD—associate professor at Stanford, anesthesiologist, neuroscientist, & one of the most extraordinary scientists & clinicians who is truly revolutionizing mental health! He pushes the boundaries of how we approach consciousness, mental health, & pharmacology—asking questions most people are too afraid to traverse: Do we need to be awake for drugs to heal the brain? What exactly are ketamine, MDMA, & psilocybin doing when they flip a circuit? Could anesthesiology itself hold keys to psychiatry’s future? And yet what makes Boris remarkable isn’t only the science—it’s who he is. Over two hours, he shares not just his cutting-edge research but his story: moving from Moscow to the U.S., struggling with belonging, discovering MDMA & LSD in college, & how those experiences of connection still shape his lab’s vision today. We explore MDMA for OCD & autism, the limits of “magic bullet” thinking, why context & lifestyle matter more than a single intervention, & how anesthesiology lets him practice applied neuroscience in real time. If you want to understand where psychiatry is heading & hear from one of field’s foremost minds, this is an episode you cannot miss.” A bright green circular play button appears in the upper right corner.

Subheading: “Topics Discussed (+ Timestamps):” A list of timestamps and segment titles follows: (00:00:00) Introduction & welcome to Dr. Boris Heifets, MD, PhD! (00:08:44) How Boris & I first met, & why I've admired him since! (00:11:00) Who Boris is beyond titles: curiosity, sci-fi imagination, & breaking boundaries (00:16:00) Childhood across Moscow, Denver, St. Louis, Philly → disconnection & search for belonging (00:17:30) College discoveries: MDMA & LSD → the shock of true connection (00:19:30) MDMA for autism spectrum: Alicia Danforth’s trial & showing connection for the first time (00:22:00) Psychedelics as tools, not cures → lifestyle & comorbidities vs. one-day interventions (00:27:00) How reductionistic models fail to capture what psychedelics actually do (00:31:00) Anesthesiology + psychiatry + neuroscience → how Boris integrates it all A bright green circular play button appears in the upper right corner.

A continued list of timestamps and segment topics: (00:36:40) Applied neuroscience: giving drugs, flipping brain states in real time (00:43:00) Why mental health was always his focus & the bottlenecks of human communication (01:00:00) Translational bridge: MDMA, ketamine, psilocybin across mice & humans (01:12:00) What anesthesiology teaches psychiatry about states, context, & timing (01:25:00) Team science vs. lone-genius myth → collaboration, controversy, courage (01:36:00) What makes psychedelic medicine powerful: bending life trajectories, not instant cures (01:45:00) How to measure outcomes when the drug is just the beginning (01:55:00) Risks, hype, & how to ground the field in reality without losing hope (02:10:00) Closing reflections: radical curiosity, gratitude, & staying human in the science A bright green circular play button appears in the upper right corner.

This was truly one of my favorite A Chat with Uma episodes I’ve ever released!✨ I'm so grateful for how @theborislab.bsky.social shared not only his work, but his own story, with such honesty, generosity, + depth 🙌🏾🙏🏾

📖 Read below for full show notes + timestamps, and listen at the link above! ☝🏾

Split promotional graphic for the podcast "A Chat with Uma." The left side features a smiling man in glasses and a light purple blazer over a pink-and-blue checkered shirt, standing outdoors with blurred greenery behind him. A soft rainbow gradient overlays the image. The right side has a black background and includes the colorful brain-flower podcast logo at the top, followed by the text: "A Chat with Uma" by Uma R. Chatterjee, M.S., MHPS Large headline: "Tripping In Your Sleep:" Subheadline: "Psychedelics, The Placebo Effect, & How Human Connection Heals the Brain with Dr. Boris Heifets." Along the bottom are icons for Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Orange icon (possibly Overcast), Spotify, and RSS.

🤯TRIPPING IN YOUR SLEEP: Psychedelics, The Placebo Effect, & How Human Connection Heals the Brain with Dr. Boris Heifets @theborislab.bsky.social💭 Ep. 51 of A Chat with Uma out now! 🌟

This ep is truly a dream come true (no pun intended)-a MUST listen! 🙌🏾 Tune in📲 creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

Podcast episode description text reads: “On episode 51 of A Chat with Uma, I sit down with Dr. Boris Heifets, MD, PhD—associate professor at Stanford, anesthesiologist, neuroscientist, & one of the most extraordinary scientists & clinicians who is truly revolutionizing mental health! He pushes the boundaries of how we approach consciousness, mental health, & pharmacology—asking questions most people are too afraid to traverse: Do we need to be awake for drugs to heal the brain? What exactly are ketamine, MDMA, & psilocybin doing when they flip a circuit? Could anesthesiology itself hold keys to psychiatry’s future? And yet what makes Boris remarkable isn’t only the science—it’s who he is. Over two hours, he shares not just his cutting-edge research but his story: moving from Moscow to the U.S., struggling with belonging, discovering MDMA & LSD in college, & how those experiences of connection still shape his lab’s vision today. We explore MDMA for OCD & autism, the limits of “magic bullet” thinking, why context & lifestyle matter more than a single intervention, & how anesthesiology lets him practice applied neuroscience in real time. If you want to understand where psychiatry is heading & hear from one of field’s foremost minds, this is an episode you cannot miss.” A bright green circular play button appears in the upper right corner.

Subheading: “Topics Discussed (+ Timestamps):” A list of timestamps and segment titles follows: (00:00:00) Introduction & welcome to Dr. Boris Heifets, MD, PhD! (00:08:44) How Boris & I first met, & why I've admired him since! (00:11:00) Who Boris is beyond titles: curiosity, sci-fi imagination, & breaking boundaries (00:16:00) Childhood across Moscow, Denver, St. Louis, Philly → disconnection & search for belonging (00:17:30) College discoveries: MDMA & LSD → the shock of true connection (00:19:30) MDMA for autism spectrum: Alicia Danforth’s trial & showing connection for the first time (00:22:00) Psychedelics as tools, not cures → lifestyle & comorbidities vs. one-day interventions (00:27:00) How reductionistic models fail to capture what psychedelics actually do (00:31:00) Anesthesiology + psychiatry + neuroscience → how Boris integrates it all A bright green circular play button appears in the upper right corner.

A continued list of timestamps and segment topics: (00:36:40) Applied neuroscience: giving drugs, flipping brain states in real time (00:43:00) Why mental health was always his focus & the bottlenecks of human communication (01:00:00) Translational bridge: MDMA, ketamine, psilocybin across mice & humans (01:12:00) What anesthesiology teaches psychiatry about states, context, & timing (01:25:00) Team science vs. lone-genius myth → collaboration, controversy, courage (01:36:00) What makes psychedelic medicine powerful: bending life trajectories, not instant cures (01:45:00) How to measure outcomes when the drug is just the beginning (01:55:00) Risks, hype, & how to ground the field in reality without losing hope (02:10:00) Closing reflections: radical curiosity, gratitude, & staying human in the science A bright green circular play button appears in the upper right corner.

This was truly one of my favorite A Chat with Uma episodes I’ve ever released!✨ I'm so grateful for how @theborislab.bsky.social shared not only his work, but his own story, with such honesty, generosity, + depth 🙌🏾🙏🏾

📖 Read below for full show notes + timestamps, and listen at the link above! ☝🏾

Split promotional graphic for the podcast "A Chat with Uma." The left side features a smiling man in glasses and a light purple blazer over a pink-and-blue checkered shirt, standing outdoors with blurred greenery behind him. A soft rainbow gradient overlays the image. The right side has a black background and includes the colorful brain-flower podcast logo at the top, followed by the text: "A Chat with Uma" by Uma R. Chatterjee, M.S., MHPS Large headline: "Tripping In Your Sleep:" Subheadline: "Psychedelics, The Placebo Effect, & How Human Connection Heals the Brain with Dr. Boris Heifets." Along the bottom are icons for Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Orange icon (possibly Overcast), Spotify, and RSS.

🤯TRIPPING IN YOUR SLEEP: Psychedelics, The Placebo Effect, & How Human Connection Heals the Brain with Dr. Boris Heifets @theborislab.bsky.social💭 Ep. 51 of A Chat with Uma out now! 🌟

This ep is truly a dream come true (no pun intended)-a MUST listen! 🙌🏾 Tune in📲 creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

2) I’m honored to be selected as a mentee for the @acnporg.bsky.social Near-Peer Mentorship Program! 🎉

I’m deeply grateful to everyone in our field who has supported me as a scientist with lived experience! I wouldn’t be here without your belief in me & you challenging the stigma! 🙏🏾 #ACNP2026

THRILLED to share @acnporg.bsky.social news x2!

1) Our study group “Centering Lived Experience in Psychiatric Neuroscience Research” @ericjnestler.bsky.social @mayaschumer.bsky.social @deffinger.bsky.social @viscidula.bsky.social @noelvest.bsky.social @cahill-lab.bsky.social=ACCEPTED! 🤩 #ACNP2026

So important to recognize the value and recognize the importance of lived experiences! Thank you to all the panelists for your courage and generosity!

FANTASTIC news Uma, you are perfect for leading this Study Group and will be a fantastic follow-up on the Luncheon discussion we had last year on Neurodiversity as a strength!
Thank you for your continued work in this area!
😍

Heck yes!!! That is going to be one incredible panel!!

@acnporg.bsky.social brought @umarchatterjee.bsky.social
@deffinger.bsky.social & me together last year: After finding each other on X-as we are all public/open about our lived experience -we met+discussed the ideas for this Study Group! Looking forward to doing this work together@ #ACNP2026💥🧠❤️

2) I’m honored to be selected as a mentee for the @acnporg.bsky.social Near-Peer Mentorship Program! 🎉

I’m deeply grateful to everyone in our field who has supported me as a scientist with lived experience! I wouldn’t be here without your belief in me & you challenging the stigma! 🙏🏾 #ACNP2026

THRILLED to share @acnporg.bsky.social news x2!

1) Our study group “Centering Lived Experience in Psychiatric Neuroscience Research” @ericjnestler.bsky.social @mayaschumer.bsky.social @deffinger.bsky.social @viscidula.bsky.social @noelvest.bsky.social @cahill-lab.bsky.social=ACCEPTED! 🤩 #ACNP2026

Join us in Congratulating the 2025 ACNP Travel Award Class! 🙌🎉

Ecstatic to share my @ologies.bsky.social episode on #OCD! 🎉

SO grateful to (my fav human!) @alieward.bsky.social for having me on! This was such a rewarding + healing experience for me, fully sharing as a researcher INFORMED by my lived experience 🥺🫶🏾

TUNE IN 👉🏾 www.alieward.com/ologies/ocdb... 1/🧵

Thank you so much for your kind message & for sharing this @nora.zone! 🥺❤️ I’m so glad that the episode was supportive, & I’m sending you so much love + care as you navigate next steps. Please always remember that you’re not alone & there is so much hope! Thank you for listening! 🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾

@umarchatterjee.bsky.social hey thank you so much for the podcast. i haven't been formally diagnosed yet but everything you said matches my experience and i am going to look into getting treatment

This is such a massive WIN for the #OCDCommunity + #OCDAwareness. Whether you’re already diagnosed, you don’t have OCD but learned new things, or you’re one of the countless folks sharing that they felt truly seen for the first time—I PROMISE you’re not alone & we got you. ❤️ @ologies.bsky.social 5/🧵

The power of platforming *real* OCD on @ologies.bsky.social—one of the biggest podcasts in the WORLD—is profound for such a misunderstood & stigmatized condition. These episodes are MASTERFUL (as always) & will save MILLIONS of lives. To have the honor of being part of this is indescribable. 🥹 4/🧵

I can’t thank @alieward.bsky.social enough for covering #OCD (with not one, but TWO eps!) on @ologies.bsky.social with SUCH depth, (healthy😉) diligence, compassion, & care. And Alie, thank you for YOUR bravery + vulnerability in sharing your own lived experience w/ us. You are SO seen & loved. ❤️ 3/🧵

We cover SO much on @ologies.bsky.social, including: My story, POCD+taboo+harm themes, mental compulsions, #OCD neurobiology, genetics, evidence-based treatments, emerging psychedelic research (+ my lived experience), neuromodulation, the devastating consequences of stigma & misinformation, +! 🧠 2/🧵

Ecstatic to share my @ologies.bsky.social episode on #OCD! 🎉

SO grateful to (my fav human!) @alieward.bsky.social for having me on! This was such a rewarding + healing experience for me, fully sharing as a researcher INFORMED by my lived experience 🥺🫶🏾

TUNE IN 👉🏾 www.alieward.com/ologies/ocdb... 1/🧵

YouTube video by National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Desk: The Future of Animal Models in Research | NIH’s Dr. Nicole Kleinstreuer

A discussion of the use of animals in research.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSvk...

1/n

(Warning: Rant coming)

OCD Awareness🤝The NUMBER 1 science podcast in the WORLD! 🎉

@ologies.bsky.social w/ @alieward.bsky.social is covering #OCD with not one but TWO episodes this week! Pt. 1, with the legendary Dr. Wayne Goodman, out TODAY—part 2, with yours truly (!!!), comes next later this week! 🥹🫶🏾

Listen to pt. 1👇🏾

Seeing @ologies.bsky.social smack dab in the center of TIME’s hundred greatest podcasts is such a beautiful feeling. @alieward.bsky.social is a genius and I’m so grateful for my time working on the show, she makes the world a better place and inspires me every day: time.com/collections/...

This means the world to me, Stephanie! 🥹🫶🏾 @alieward.bsky.social made it one of the best, most heartwarming & empowering conversations I’ve ever had, especially at the intersection of science & lived experience—it’s a HUGE hug to us all living at (often isolating) line❤️ Sending much love & gratitude!

OCD Awareness🤝The NUMBER 1 science podcast in the WORLD! 🎉

@ologies.bsky.social w/ @alieward.bsky.social is covering #OCD with not one but TWO episodes this week! Pt. 1, with the legendary Dr. Wayne Goodman, out TODAY—part 2, with yours truly (!!!), comes next later this week! 🥹🫶🏾

Listen to pt. 1👇🏾

And lastly, can't wait for the bonus episode with OCD advocate and fellow scientist @umarchatterjee.bsky.social, who I appreciate so much for being a voice at the intersection of science and lived experience!