Obituary of Minakshi Chatterjee

Dr. Minakshi Chatterjee (1952-2008)



Dr. Minakshi Chatterjee, a community psychiatrist and long-term resident of the Society Hill area of Philadelphia passed away on October 28, 2008. Dr. Chatterjee was on the clinical staff of Northeast Community Center for Mental Health of Philadelphia where she was held in high esteem by her patients as well as by her colleagues and the clinical staff.



Born in Calcutte, India on December 3, 1952, Dr. Chatterjee arrived in the United States in 1981. She was an outstanding 1975 graduate ('gold medalist') of the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, India, and had obtained her psychiatric training at the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.



Dr. Chatterjee was certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (Adult and Geriatric) and was an active member of the American Psychiatric Association. She was divorced and childless but maintained a deep committment to her nieces and her younger colleagues. Born and raised in a Brahmin Hindu family, she converted to Christianity and was a regular member of Saint Peter's Church in Philadelphia. She also had an avid interest in American Constitution and participated in a study group on this topic.



An interesting combination of shy reserve and outgoing liveliness, Dr. Chatterjee was known in her family for her outstanding memory of events that evoked nostalgia. Her vivid imagination took her beyond party conversation however. She was a skilled painter and her art work attested to her lively spirit.



Dr. Chatterjee is survived by a brother, Dr. Dev Prasad Chakraborty, a physicist from Pittsburgh, and a sister, Dr. Monisha Chakraborty Nayar, a psychoanalyst in suburban Philadelphia, and three nieces, Yamini Nayar, Kavita Nayar and Rimi Chakraborty.