The Story Collider

Ali Mattu: My Brother The Trekkie

Psychologist Ali Mattu didn't know what he wanted to be as a kid, but his older brother helped him find inspiration in Star Trek. Ali is a clinical psychologist at the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders where he specializes in the treatment of OCD, hair-pulling and skin-picking disorders. Outside of the hospital, Ali is an advocate for the brain and behavior sciences through his positions on national psychological associations and his presentations at comic cons. He writes about the psychology of science fiction at BrainKnowsBetter.com in the hopes that it will help others develop a love for psychology, just like Star Trek did for him. Ali's also the host of The Psych Show, a YouTube channel dedicated to making psychology fun and easy to understand.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether we wear a lab coat or haven't seen a test tube since grade school, science is shaping all of our lives. And that means we all have science stories to tell. Every year, we host dozens of live shows all over the country, featuring all kinds of storytellers - researchers, doctors, and engineers of course, but also patients, poets, comedians, cops, and more. Some of our stories are heartbreaking, others are hilarious, but they're all true and all very personal. Welcome to The Story Collider!