Nancy Heath

Nancy Heath is a Professor at McGill University, affiliated with the Faculty of Education and the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology. Her work focuses on resilience, mindfulness, emotion regulation, and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in educational contexts.

• Research Interests: Building mental health resilience in educational settings, mindfulness, emotion regulation, student stress and coping, non-suicidal self-injury.
• Awards: Dr. Suning Wang Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentorship (2023), David Thomson Award for Graduate Supervision and Teaching (2023), Elected Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Self-Injury (ISSS) (2023).
• Grants: Over $7.5 million in research funding from federal, provincial, international, and foundational sources.
• Leadership: Founding member and former President of ISSS; sustained international leadership in NSSI research.

Publication Trends: Her recent work emphasizes mindfulness interventions for stress reduction, stigma analysis in self-injury, and cross-cultural studies of mental health resilience. She has pioneered school-based programs for emotion regulation and pre-service teacher well-being, with significant attention to digital behavior and problematic gaming in youth.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Dr. Suning Wang Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentorship (2023)
  • David Thomson Award for Graduate Supervision and Teaching (2023)
  • Elected Fellow of ISSS (2023)
  • Distinguished James McGill Professor (2023–2030)
  • James McGill Professor (2016–2023)

Collaborations and Grants: Dr. Heath has collaborated with schools globally for over 30 years, securing $7.5+ million in grants. Her mentorship has been recognized nationally, and she leads initiatives in mental health policy and school-based interventions.