Syeda Fatema Alam has been working at the Department of Psychiatry, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, while also conducting her own research projects and empowering medical students. Her work spans clinical psychiatry, public health and mental health support in low-resource settings, programme design and policy.

She holds an MBBS, is a certified medical doctor in Bangladesh and holds a Master of Public Health, as well as postgraduate psychiatry training from a national teaching hospital. She completed a PG-Cert from Harvard Medical School and Fordham University.

She lives with her cat. Outside clinical work, she writes personal essays on language and belonging and reads widely. She enjoys quiet time with family and friends, mountaineering and travelling extensively.