Justin Heinze

Justin Heinze is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior & Health Equity at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, with a courtesy appointment in the Marsal Family School of Education. His research focuses on how schools influence disparities in violence and risk outcomes, emphasizing structural features of school context and policy. He leads initiatives such as the National Center for School Safety and the Healthy Minds Study, and his work spans firearm injury prevention, mental health, and developmental transitions.

Education: PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Illinois-Chicago (2011), MA in Higher Education from the University of Michigan (2004), and BA in Personality and Developmental Psychology from the University of Michigan (2003). He also completed a Predoctoral Fellowship in Managerial Economics at Northwestern University (2009–2011).

Research Projects: Includes the Healthy Minds Study, National Center for School Safety, and evaluations of programs like Sandy Hook Promise. Key interests include school safety policies, mental health interventions, and firearm violence prevention strategies.

Labs/Teams: Director of the National Center for School Safety and faculty lead for Public Health IDEAS for Preventing Firearm Injury. Collaborates on projects like the Detroit Community Overdose Response Initiative and the Detroit Vacant Lot Reuse Study.