Program Leadership

Dr. Gary Heiman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Genetics at Rutgers University where he serves as the Vice Chair and Undergraduate Director. He received a master’s in Genetic Counseling and subsequently earned his Ph.D. in epidemiology from Columbia University, specializing in genetic epidemiology of neuropsychiatric disorders.

is research program focuses on understanding the relationship between neurological and psychiatric disorders. Dr. Heiman and others established the Tourette International Collaborative Genetics (TIC Genetics) study, a sharing resource of clinical, biomaterial, and genetic data of individuals with Tourette and their family members. The goal of this international study is to identify genetic (inherited) factors that play a role in causing TD and comorbid disorders such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. TIC Genetics brings together a team of clinicians, geneticists, and statistical geneticists from 24 sites across the US, Europe, and South Korea and is now the largest sharing cell and DNA repository for Tourette disorder (TD). Dr. Heiman serves on the TIC Genetics Executive Committee, heads the Data Coordinating Center, and the principal investigator at the Rutgers recruitment site.

Dr. Heiman serves on the Executive Committee for Rutgers' Genetic Counseling Master's Program (GCMP). As Director of Student Research, Dr. Heiman is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the research component of the GCMP and also directs the Research Methods in Genetic Counseling course. He is also the Director of the Genetic Counseling Certificate Program (GCCP) for Rutgers undergraduate genetics majors.