Tamar Heller, PhD
Tamar Heller, Ph.D., Professor, is Head of the Department
of Disability and Human Development at the University
of Illinois at Chicago. She also directs the RRTC
on Aging with Developmental Disabilities, the Advanced Training
for Disability and Rehabilitation Scholars program, and projects
on support interventions for individuals with disabilities and their
families. In addition she is director of the University
Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) for
the State of Illinois. Dr. Heller has written over 100 publications
and presented nearly 200 papers at major conferences on disability
policies and interventions. She has co-edited two books ("Health
of women with disabilities; Older adults with developmental disabilities:
Optimizing choice and change") and edited special issues of "Technology
and Disability", "American Journal on Mental Retardation", "Journal
of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities", and "Family
Relations". Previously, Dr. Heller directed a Family
Studies and Services Program, which included an interdisciplinary
diagnostic clinic serving nearly 1000 families per year from the
inner city, a family support program and studies on lifespan family
support. Dr. Heller has served on the boards of the American
Association on Mental Retardation, the European Course on Mental
Retardation, and the boards of several leading national and international
journals on disability issues.
