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Accountant rajeevbhats@gmail.com Back Back to People Page Back Admin Team Rajeev Bhat Accountant CBM

Professor, Department of Psychiatry a.shyamsundar@gmail.com Google Scholar Back Back to People Page Back Co-Investigator Team Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Dr Shyam Sundar Professor, Department of Psychiatry Dr. Shyam Sundar A is an Associate Professor in psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India. He completed his MBBS from Coimbatore Medical College, Tamil Nadu in 2002 and his postgraduate training in psychiatry at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in 2006. He worked in AIIMS, New Delhi and Christian Medical College, Vellore before joining NIMHANS as a faculty in the department of psychiatry in 2011. He has been part of the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) clinic since then. His areas of interest include obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). He was involved in a research project on the use of rTMS for OCD. He has published in many national and international scientific journals and authored various book chapters on psychiatry. He recently completed a fellowship in bipolar disorders from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Clinician Scientist (Equivalent to Assistant Professor) in Psychiatry drpathak13@gmail.com Back Back to People Page Back Clinical Team Dr Harsh Pathak Clinician Scientist (Equivalent to Assistant Professor) in Psychiatry CBM Harsh Pathak has completed his MD in Psychiatry and PhD in Psychiatry from NIMHANS. He works at the Centre for Brain and Mind, NIMHANS, as a clinician–researcher. His areas of interest include severe mental illness, neuroimaging and neuromodulation.

Professor, Department of Neuro Imaging & Interventional Radiology jsaini76@gmail.com LinkedIn | Google Scholar Back Back to People Page Back Co-Investigator Team Dr Jitender Saini Professor, Department of Neuro Imaging & Interventional Radiology

Senior Technical Officer - A (Hardware and Data Management) kshankarachary@gmail.com Back Back to People Page Back MRI/EEG Team K Shankarachary Senior Technical Officer - A (Hardware and Data Management) CBM

Senior Professor Dpt. Of Psychiatry Google Scholar Back Back to People Page Back Co-Investigator Team Molecular Genetics Dr Sanjeev Jain Senior Professor Dpt. Of Psychiatry Sanjeev Jain is a clinician and a teacher, and researches the genetic correlates of psychiatric and neurological disease. He studied medicine at the Delhi University (Maulana Azad Medical College); and did his post-graduate studies at the NIMHANS. He has been a Commonwealth Fellow at Cambridge (UK), and the co-Director of a NIH-Fogarty training and mentorship program. He has provided the lead for, and participated in, several population and cohort studies, and also provides genetic testing for several neuro-degenerative disorders, as well as counseling services for these families. This work includes the genetics of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease, as well as addiction and OCD. Over the past few years, discussions and collaboration with other colleagues at NIMHANS, the NCBS and inSTEM, have extended the research from the clinic, to the bench, using both clinical assessments (including MRI, EEG etc.) as well as tools of cellular and molecular biology, including WES, iPSC and neuronal cell lines from individuals diagnosed to have psychiatric illnesses, and their affected and unaffected relatives. He has been a member of the committee for drafting the Mental Health Policy document for India; and is also an Adjunct Faculty at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR), Bangalore. His other interests include the history of mental health services in India, from the colonial to the contemporary period. This work has helped understand the interface between science and medicine, and social responses to mental illness in India. The work has been supported by various funding agencies in India (DBT, ICMR, DST and the CSIR), as also the Wellcome Trust, NIH (Fogarty) and the MRC-ICMR. Gopikumar, V., Narasimhan, L., Easwaran, D., Srinivas, A., R, K., Moideen, P., Sivayokan, S., Rohatgi, P., Padmakar, A., Rajesh, V., Ravi, M., Krishnadas, P., Margaret, A., Hamlai, M., Sharma, C., Joseph, S., Venkateswaran, C., Ck, K., Sn, S., … Ravikanth, L. (2025). From institutions to homes: Evaluation of a housing with supportive services intervention for people with psychosocial disabilities with histories of homelessness. SSM - Mental Health , 7 , 100424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100424 Parthaje, S., Janardhanan, M., Paul, P., Karunakaran, K. B., Deb, A. P., Shankarappa, B., Pal, P. K., Mahadevan, A., Jain, S ., Viswanath, B., & Purushottam, M. (2025). CAG Repeat Instability and Region-Specific Gene Expression Changes in the SCA12 Brain. The Cerebellum , 24 (3), 60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-025-01808-z Ratna, N., Venkatesh, S. D., Pasupulati, S., Murari, G., Kamble, N., Viswanath, B., Yadav, R., Varghese, M., Pal, P. K., Jain, S. , & Purushottam, M. (2025). Allelic Diversity, de novo CAG Expansions, and Intergenerational Instability at the HTT Locus in a clinical sample of Huntington’s Disease from India . https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.03.03.21260193 Shankarappa, B., Prasad, V. P., Kumar, S., Rao, R. S., Royal, A. B., Swamy, M., Prasad, P., Niranjana Murthy, A. S., Ganesh, S., Viswanath, B., Jain, S. , Purushottam, M., & Thyloth, M. (2024). A Novel Homozygous Variant in CPLANE1 Gene in a Patient with Developmental Deficits. Molecular Syndromology , 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1159/000541167 Vinod, P., Sen, S., Jayasankar, P., Janardhanan, M., Paul, P., Viswanath, B., Jain, S ., Harbishettar, V., Sivakumar, P. T., & Purushottam, M. (2024). Does Apolipoprotein E polymorphism play a role in familial Alzheimer’s Dementia. Alzheimer’s & Dementia , 20 (S1), e087257. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.087257

Project Associate almalma008@gmail.com Back Back to People Page Back Lab Team, Doctoral Candidate Almas M Project Associate CBM, A-BIG-NET Meet Almas, a dedicated professional with a Master of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a keen interest in the mysteries of cellular behavioural processes. She combines meticulous experimentation with a deep understanding of cellular dynamics to uncover insights into the intricate workings of living organisms at the microscopic level. Beyond the lab, she finds joy in expressing creativity through micron pen art, capturing the beauty of life at a cellular scale. When not immersed in research or books, Almas is a sports enthusiast, that enjoys the thrill of competition, particularly in basketball, cricket, football and Formula 1 racing.

Clinical Post Doctoral Fellow (Equivalent to Senior Resident, Psychiatry) chidatma.a@gmail.com ORCID ID: 0009-0005-1300-2317 Back Back to People Page Back Clinical Team Dr Chidatma A Clinical Post Doctoral Fellow (Equivalent to Senior Resident, Psychiatry) CBM Dr. Chidatma A is a Clinical Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Brain and Mind with an MD from Karnataka Medical College and Research Institute, ranked 4th at RGUHS. He has a strong background in community mental health, psychiatric training, and research. His work includes international presentations and published research, with a focus on neurobiology, schizophrenia, and psychopathology. Dr. Chidatma is passionate about advancing mental health care through clinical expertise and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Scientific Development & Communication Officer cbm.nimhans@gmail.com Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5616-8003 Science Writing Making research inclusive: Bringing patients and the public into the fold The Great Divide: India and Mental Illness | MIND: The Gap Variations in Bipolar Disorder: Insights from and Treatment Implications in Indian Patients De-stigmatizing mental health care in India: a way forward Back Back to People Page Back Communication Team Anushka Banerjee Scientific Development & Communication Officer CBM Anushka Banerjee is a molecular biologist by training and a science communicator by choice. She holds an M.Sc. in Molecular Medicine from the Amrita Centre for Nanoscience & Molecular Medicine (ACNSMM), Kochi. She has research experience in neuroscience from the ADBS Lab (now the Rohini Nilekani Centre for Brain and Mind) at NIMHANS, Bengaluru. With over five years of experience in science communication and public engagement, Anushka works at the intersection of neuroscience, mental health, and society. Currently, she leads science communication and outreach at the Centre for Brain and Mind at NIMHANS, where she translates complex neuroscience research into meaningful and accessible content for diverse audiences. Her work includes strategic communication, programme development, public engagement, policy research, project management, fundraising, workshop facilitation, and science education. She also co-leads efforts to develop a Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) programme to strengthen meaningful collaboration between researchers, people with lived experience, and wider communities. Anushka has contributed to writing, securing, and delivering grant-funded outreach and public engagement programmes that promote non-animal research methods (CPHMS, AIC-CCBMB), strengthen mental health awareness, and support more participatory approaches to science and research engagement (CBM–NIMHANS). Her work spans educational resources and engagement initiatives across visual, audio, digital, and social media platforms. Outside work, she enjoys photography, watching Hindi films, and exploring restaurants. Projects mglnimhans.org An informal, safe and supportive outreach approach to bridge the Mental Health Gap in India | IndiaBioscience Outreach Grant With support from the IndiaBioscience Outreach Grant, we created platforms for scientists, clinicians, patients, caregivers, and general public to connect and share insights. Through awareness events, expert interviews, an art competition, and an e-book, we sparked conversations on mental health, tackled stigma, and made research more accessible. www.mglnimhans.org Coffee, Cinema and Community: Redefining Mental Health | MGL NIMHANS

Project Associate nishalijesh@gmail.com Back Back to People Page Back Clinical Team Nisha A S Project Associate CBM, A-BIG-NET Nisha works for the Center for Brain and Mind department as a project associate for the GenECT project. She holds a Masters degree in counseling, family therapy, and social work. She also has prior experience working in public outreach, counseling, and community training. In her free time, she likes to read fiction and non-fiction books, travel, and discover new places.

Clinical Project Associate Back Back to People Page Back Clinical Team Spurthi S P Clinical Project Associate CBM, A-BIG-NET

Professor, Department of Psychiatry bijuv1@gmail.com Google Scholar | Twitter | PubMed Back Back to People Page Back Investigator Team Bipolar Disorder, Molecular Genetics, Stem Cell Research Dr Biju Viswanath Professor, Department of Psychiatry CBM, MGL, A-BIG-NET, DBT/IA Lithium I am a professor of psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru (NIMHANS) , where my primary area of research includes understanding the molecular basis of etiology and treatment response in neuropsychiatric disorders. My training as a physician specialising in psychiatry and as a basic researcher in human stem cells enables me with a unique skill set to develop and execute translational psychiatry research. I am currently funded to examine genetic and cellular correlates of lithium response in bipolar disorder. I am also a key investigator at the Rohini Nilekani Centre for Brain and Mind at NIMHANS (previously the Accelerator program for Discovery in Brain disorders using Stem cells (ADBS) program funded by the Department of Biotechnology), which aims to build a biorepository of human induced pluripotent stem cells for serious mental illnesses in India. The proposed study is in line with my interests in the genetic basis of bipolar disorder. I have established a network of investigators in India that has the capability to become an important contributor in the field of psychiatric genetics. I am also a DBT/WT India Alliance Intermediate Fellow in the Clinical and Public Health programme Publications Agrawal, A., Bulik, C. M., Abebe, D. S., Andreassen, O. A., Atkinson, E. G., Choi, K., Corvin, A., Davies, H. L., Davis, L., Docherty, A., Edenberg, H. J., Franke, B., Gelernter, J., Giusti-Rodriguez, P., Hettema, J. M., Hjerling-Leffler, J., Huang, H., Johnson, E. C., Lewis, C., … Sullivan, P. (2025). The Psychiatric Genomics Consortium: Discoveries and Directions . https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/xykj2_v2 Parthaje, S., Janardhanan, M., Paul, P., Karunakaran, K. B., Deb, A. P., Shankarappa, B., Pal, P. K., Mahadevan, A., Jain, S., Viswanath, B. , & Purushottam, M. (2025). CAG Repeat Instability and Region-Specific Gene Expression Changes in the SCA12 Brain. The Cerebellum , 24 (3), 60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-025-01808-z Ratna, N., Venkatesh, S. D., Pasupulati, S., Murari, G., Kamble, N., Viswanath, B ., Yadav, R., Varghese, M., Pal, P. K., Jain, S., & Purushottam, M. (2025). Allelic Diversity, de novo CAG Expansions, and Intergenerational Instability at the HTT Locus in a clinical sample of Huntington’s Disease from India . https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.03.03.21260193 Ritter, P., Glenn, T., Achtyes, E. D., Alda, M., Agaoglu, E., Altınbaş, K., Andreassen, O. A., Angelopoulos, E., Ardau, R., Aydin, M., Ayhan, Y., Baethge, C., Bauer, R., Baune, B. T., Balaban, C., Becerra-Palars, C., Behere, A. P., Behere, P. B., Belete, H., … Bauer, M. (2024). Association between a large change between the minimum and maximum monthly values of solar insolation and a history of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder. International Journal of Bipolar Disorders , 12 (1), 43. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40345-024-00364-5 Shankarappa, B., Prasad, V. P., Kumar, S., Rao, R. S., Royal, A. B., Swamy, M., Prasad, P., Niranjana Murthy, A. S., Ganesh, S., Viswanath, B. , Jain, S., Purushottam, M., & Thyloth, M. (2024). A Novel Homozygous Variant in CPLANE1 Gene in a Patient with Developmental Deficits. Molecular Syndromology , 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1159/000541167