Itu Mohapatra completed her doctorate in Human Cytogenetics at the All India Institute of Medical Science and has been associated with many research works at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Center of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). She had many of her research findings widely published in many international journals and publications.

Currently she is a Clinical Cytogenetics Specialist at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle where she works in collaboration with the Alfred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) and Seattle Children's Hospital.