Colleen Heinkel

Dr. Colleen Heinkel serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, with primary clinical duties at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center where she holds multiple key roles:

• Primary staff psychologist at the Women's Resource Center and Women's Health Clinic
• Smoking cessation lead clinician
• Member of the Health Promotion Disease Prevention Committee

Her clinical and research expertise centers on psychological trauma (including PTSD and military sexual trauma), behavioral medicine, women's health, and resilience-based wellness models for mood dysregulation and chronic disease management. She pioneers translational research integrating evidence-based practices with health technology to support patients with serious illnesses and their caregivers:

• Specializes in technology-enhanced interventions for chronic/terminal illness
• Develops integrative approaches to trauma recovery and loss
• Implements evidence-based treatments for military sexual trauma
• Advances resilience-focused chronic disease self-management models

Dr. Heinkel actively shapes clinical education through:

• Psychology preceptor for the MCW/VA Advanced Fellowship in Women's Health
• Certified trauma and disaster psychologist for the American Red Cross
• Former adjunct faculty at Marquette University
• Ongoing mentoring programs at the VA Medical Center