Dr. Marysue Heilemann

Biography

MarySue V. Heilemann is a Professor at the UCLA School of Nursing and serves as the Associate Director of the UCLA National Clinician Scholars Program. She has pioneered the use of transmedia health interventions focused on mental health, particularly for Latinas, whom she has extensively researched to understand their experiences with stigma and barriers to mental health care. Recognizing the potential of discreet smartphone access to story-based media, she developed a collaborative methodology for creating interventions using transmedia storytelling across various digital platforms. She is currently the Principal Investigator on a five-year, NIH-funded research project testing an interactive, scalable web-based application aimed at improving attitudes, reducing stigma, and increasing help-seeking behaviors among Latinas facing untreated depression and anxiety. As an expert in Grounded Theory methodology, Dr. Heilemann mentors graduate students and faculty in qualitative research at UCLA. She has received several awards for her teaching and research contributions, including the UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award and the UCSF Helen Nahm Research Lecture Award. Dr. Heilemann's work integrates community input and addresses critical issues such as social justice and gender in nursing, aiming to enhance resilience and mental health support for Latinas in the U.S.

Research Interests