Eline Heppe

Eline Heppe is a Visiting Fellow at the Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, with affiliations in Educational Sciences, APH - Mental Health, and LEARN! - Child rearing. Her research focuses on mentoring programs, social participation, and psychosocial functioning in adolescents with visual impairments. She has contributed to longitudinal studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) exploring factors like loneliness, autonomy-supportive parenting, and disability inclusion.

Key projects include the 'Visueel in beeld vervolg onderzoek' as a Principal Investigator. She organized events such as the Big Data in Care Research Summit 2020 and has presented on topics like basic psychological needs and community-based interventions. Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing equity and inclusion.

Awarded the Next Generation Award 2017, her research bridges academic and applied contexts, leveraging big data and routine care data to address challenges faced by visually impaired youth and other disability groups. Collaborations span institutions in the Netherlands and internationally.