Associate Professor
Neuroscience
Phone: 21-988726102
Email: erthalfs@biof.ufrj.br

Fátima Erthal has a Ph.D. in science and is a specialist in neurosciences by functional neuroimaging focusing on investigating motivational systems and post-traumatic stress disorder. Her lines of research include investigating brain processing of danger and safety cues in people exposed to traumatic events
who developed Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and resilient individuals, seeking to investigate the factors that contribute to recovery after exposure to traumatic experiences. She also investigates the symptoms of mental distress in graduate students and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of this population. In addition to functional magnetic resonance neuroimaging, she uses posturography, electrocardiography, and manual reaction time as investigation tools.

Dr. Erthal is a board member of the Brazilian chapter of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), of the Diversity Committee of the Brazilian Society of Neurosciences and Behavior (SBNeC), and the Mental Health Care Committee of the Institute of Biophysics Carlos
Chagas Filho. Since 2018, she has been developing a project entitled “Deconstructing stereotypes: for a more just and egalitarian society,” aimed at high school students in public schools in Rio de Janeiro. This project addresses social stereotypes, the importance of quotas and affirmative policies, and strategies to deconstruct negative stereotypes associated with social groups such as black people, LGBTQIAP+, women, and people with disabilities.

Dr. Erthal has a degree in Physiotherapy from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; holds a Master’s degree in Biological Sciences – Physiology and a Ph.D. in Sciences from the Graduate Program in Biological Sciences – Physiology at the Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho. She did a
sandwich doctorate at Brown University (Rhode Island-USA) under the guidance of prof. Luiz Pessoa and post-doctorate at the Neurobiology Laboratory (UFRJ) under the guidance of prof. Eliane Volchan. She is a member of the Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Mental Health (PROPSAM- IPUB-UFRJ), the Graduate Program in Biological Sciences – Physiology (IBCCF-UFRJ), and the Graduate Program of the Institute of Studies in Collective Health (IESC-UFRJ).