This is an article by Adrienne J. Heinz, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, May 21, 2025.
Dr. Adrienne Heinz and her young family have lived through multiple historic wildfires in Northern California. She decided to turn pain into purpose and mobilize community health leaders to build a mental health safety net for healing and recovery.
Learn how she used those experiences to serve as a guide and source of hope for other disaster-impacted communities.
Listen on
Adrienne J. Heinz
Adrienne Heinz, Ph.D., is a clinical research psychologist at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, Public Digital Health Innovation Program, and Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Heinz has extensive experience creating free, science-based mental health apps to address post-traumatic stress and related struggles, and her program of research on trauma and resilience has resulted in over 50 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Heinz also serves as a consultant advising on cultivation of public-private partnerships to expedite healthcare innovation in trauma-impacted communities. She cares deeply about raising awareness of the intersections of climate change, disaster, and mental health and currently serves as a National Science Foundation GeoCafe Climate and Health Scholar.
