Heather Robertson

Director, BH WELL Executive Operations

Heather Robertson works at the University of Kentucky as the Director of Mental and Behavioral Health Nursing Executive Operations and as the Director of Executive Operations for the Behavioral Health Wellness Environments for Living and Learning (BH WELL) research team. She holds a joint appointment at Eastern State Hospital as Director of the Work Learning Program and as the Assistant Director of Operations for Evidence-Based Practice and Tobacco Treatment Programs. Ms. Robertson also serves as a member of the BREATHE Executive Committee. She co-created and manages a Work Learning Program (WLP) at Eastern State Hospital that was designed based on the evidence-based components of the Living Learning Programs (LLP). This program helps working health professionals return to school to work toward bachelors and advanced degrees while continuing to work. She oversees programs, budgets, contracts, and staffing. Heather has over 30 years of experience in program management, growth, and development; resource development and management; fiscal development and management; research; and evidence-based evaluations, surveillance and inspections. She holds a Masters of Public Administration and is a 1994 graduate of the post-Masters Federal Presidential Management Program started by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. She has experience at the local, state, and federal level. Her work includes being an Expansion Specialist (Certificate of Need) for Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Inc. and providing private consultation as a Program Evaluator and Management Trainer. She has worked for the Department for Health and Human Services as a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Specialist and Fraud and Abuse Specialist and in the Department for Health and Human Resources Federal Inspector General’s office as an Inspection and Evaluation Specialist along with other roles. She has extensive knowledge regarding the health implications of radon and secondhand smoke along with over 7 years of expertise regarding behavior health implications. She has been with the University of Kentucky College of Nursing for 20 years and is part of the Academic-Practice Partnership between UK HealthCare, Eastern State Hospital, and UK College of Nursing for over 7 years. Ms. Robertson is also an inaugural and current UK Lewis Honors College PAC member and an Honors mentee since inception of that program.