The power of self-awareness: advocating for accessible neuroscience research
In this special episode of the Breaking Down the Ivory Tower webinar series, we celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities by showcasing the journeys of two inspiring neuroscientists, Dr Dionna Williams (Emory University School of Medicine, US) and Uma Chatterjee (University of Wisconsin – Madison, US). They will present their research and discuss their unique experiences and insights gained while navigating the brain research landscape.
A Journey of Self-Awareness towards Understanding Disability
Dr. Dionna Williams from Emory University
This episode will feature Dr. Dionna Williams (she/they), a HIV neuroscientist whose research centers on how inflammation, substance use, and HIV therapies impact the brain in people living with HIV. Dionna will share her journey navigating scientific training and academia as someone living with multiple disabilities and detail the intersecting ways in which these experiences are shaped by their experiences as a nonbinary, Black woman that comes from a disadvantaged background. A champion for accessibility and being intentional about making her laboratory and classroom environments inclusive for all, Dionna was unaware of their own disability status until recently. She will discuss the challenges trainees face in accessing accommodations and the professional implications of being a disabled trainee. Further, they will share how faculty can use their power to facilitate access to a neuroscience career for their disabled students and trainees.
From Me-search to Research: A non-traditional path to neuroscience research and advocacy
Uma R. Chatterjee, M.S., MHPS, University of Wisconsin-Madison Neuroscience Training Program
This episode will also feature the story of Uma R. Chatterjee - a neuroscientist, mental health advocate, and science communicator who studies the neurobiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Uma will transparently share her non-traditional journey through academia as a multiply disabled trainee, shedding light on both the barriers she has faced at all career stages and the hope, empowerment, and opportunities that ultimately transformed her from a college dropout to a thriving Ph.D student. She will discuss her experience of studying and advocating for the disorder she lives with, navigating disclosure, stigma, and discrimination around disabilities, and advancing equity, inclusion, and access in neuroscience.
