Tessa Heeren
Research Specialist
Tessa Heeren brings a background in social work and public health to the Iowa Institute of Public Health Research and Policy’s interdisciplinary teams. Her experience in social service delivery drives her passion for informing equitable and sustainable public policy through applied research. Heeren strives to create products that are collaborative, accessible and stakeholder-centered.
In her work at the REC, Heeren specializes in mixed methods research to evaluate policies and programming in the public health, mental health, dental, education, and criminal legal systems. As a research specialist, Heeren’s roles in projects include conceptual research planning, team management, survey development, data collection and analysis, and report production.