Dr Isabel Huey Sien Chew

Growing up in Malaysia where mental health is heavily stigmatised, Dr. Chew witnessed firsthand the suffering of individuals with untreated OCD. This experience ignited her determination to unravel the mysteries of mental health from a neurobiological perspective. She was awarded a full scholarship to pursue her undergraduate studies at the University of Cambridge in Natural Sciences, where her interests led her to pursue psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral sciences. During this time, she did a summer internship with Prof. David Belin, where she had her first exposure to behavioural neuroscience applied to addiction research. She carried out the schedule-induced polydipsia task which was a measure of compulsive coping behaviour in rats, of which her contributions were acknowledged in their Neuropsychopharmacology paper (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-022-01522-y)

Alongside this, she was motivated by her desire to understand OCD, leading her to propose and write her own undergraduate dissertation with Prof. Trevor Robbins titled ‘the Aetiology of OCD’. Prior to starting her PhD in Australia, she received the ISTernship  scholarship (https://phd.pages.ist.ac.at/isternship/) to spend 3 months at the Institute of Science and Technology in Austria with Prof. Gaia Novarino, where she trained in molecular techniques applied to Autism.

Dr. Isabel Chew’s experiences in both life and research has led her to where she is today, and she is grateful for the opportunity to be working on a condition so close to her heart.  She hopes that her research will not only combat societal stigma but also to translate into improved treatment strategies and greater compassion for those grappling with OCD.