Ujjaini Khanderia

Ujjjaini is remembered for her quiet confidence, her sharp intellect, and her profound grace.

It's these qualities that drew the eye of the iconic artist Alice Neel, when Ujjaini was a young scholar at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. For more than fifty years, the striking painting—titled simply Woman (1966)—was celebrated globally as a masterpiece of representation, though the identity of the graceful woman in the purple sari remained a total mystery to historians. It wasn't until 2017 that an investigative journalist connected the pieces, revealing Ujjaini's identity to the world and cementing her place in history as a symbol of the changing face of mid-century America.

These same qualities also caught the eye of a more important person.

Upon arriving at the U of M, Ujjaini found herself lost and overwhelmed on her very first day on campus. It was then that she met a fellow student from India, Sharad Khanderia, who stepped in to guide her. That chance encounter blossomed into a lifelong partnership of love, family, and shared academic

Born in Nagpur, India, Ujjaini was the daughter of the renowned, award-winning novelist Bhabani Bhattacharya. Her lifelong passion for the sciences began in her hometown, where she completed her undergraduate studies at Science College, Nagpur, and went on to earn a Master of Science in Biochemistry. Her exceptional academic brilliance soon caught international attention, and she was awarded the highly coveted Betsy Barbour Scholarship for outstanding female doctoral candidates, a prestigious honor that paved her way to the United States.

Driven by an insatiable love for learning, she continued to expand her scientific expertise at the university, earning a Master of Arts in Microbiology before ultimately completing her Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree.

Professionally, Dr. Khanderia was a trailblazer in the Ann Arbor community. She dedicated decades of her life to the University of Michigan, serving as a Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy and a clinical pharmacist at the university's Medical Center. Highly respected by colleagues and students alike, she co-authored vital medical research in pharmacology and cardiology, inspiring generations of future healthcare professionals.

We celebrate the remarkable life and legacy of Dr. Ujjaini Khanderia, dedicated educator, pioneer in clinical pharmacy, and an unwitting icon of 20th-century American art history. She passed away on June 6, 2026, but her brilliant legacy beautifully spans the halls of medicine, the warmth of her family, and the walls of world-class museums.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Sharad Khanderia; her loving children, Vikrant (and his wife, Melanie Pavlovich) and Shamoli (and her husband, Donald D’Amato); and her cherished grandchildren, Cassius, Dahlia, and Talin.

To her elder brother, Arjun Bhattacharya, who preceded her shortly in death, Ujjaini was known as Shona - a term of endearment literally translated as Gold in Bengali. To her younger sister, Indrani Middleton, she was, "the most important person in my life."