Stephan Heckers, MD
Enriched profileWilliam P. and Henry B. Test Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (stepping down as chair effective Oct. 1, 2026; successor Jonathan Posner, MD, named July 2026, Heckers will remain on faculty, holding the William P. and Henry B. Test Chair in Schizophrenia Research and the Donald and Charlotte Test Clinical Directorship in Psychosis Programs, continuing clinical practice, research, and leadership of the Vanderbilt Early Psychosis Program) · Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Stephan Heckers is William P. and Henry B. Test Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (stepping down as chair effective Oct. 1, 2026; successor Jonathan Posner, MD, named July 2026, Heckers will remain on faculty, holding the William P. and Henry B. Test Chair in Schizophrenia Research and the Donald and Charlotte Test Clinical Directorship in Psychosis Programs, continuing clinical practice, research, and leadership of the Vanderbilt Early Psychosis Program) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. OpenAlex indexes 377 publications with 22,177 citations (h-index 75); ClinicalTrials.gov lists 2 registered studies with this person as an investigator. By OpenAlex citation count, this profile ranks in the top 5% of Psychiatry profiles in the findmyKOL directory.
Data verified 14 Aug 2026
Overview
Updated 27 Aug 2026
Stephan Heckers, MD, is William P. and Henry B. Test Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (stepping down as chair effective Oct. 1, 2026 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The public record shows 377 publications with 22,177 citations (h-index 75), centered on Schizophrenia. It also documents an investigator role on 2 registered clinical trials, 3 NIH-funded awards (2005–2025).
- Most recent indexed publication: 2026 · Schizophrenia bulletin
- Top research focus: Schizophrenia
- 2 registered trials on ClinicalTrials.gov
Generated from the cited public record · current as of 27 Aug 2026. Every fact links its source below.
Indications focus
from trials led + research topicsResearch focus
OpenAlex concept fingerprintWorks with
trial sponsors and companies reporting paymentsScholarship
indexed output and impact (OpenAlex)Distinct works indexed by OpenAlex, matched via ORCID; 24 in PubMed.
Total citations across indexed works.
Hirsch index, productivity × impact (OpenAlex).
Clinical & industry
trials, payments and federal fundingContact
The practice address and phone this provider lists in the federal NPPES (CMS) registry.
Practice address
Telephone
Practice address and telephone from the federal NPPES registry.
Sign in to view contact details →Clinical trials
Updated 27 Aug 2026
Listed as an investigator on 2 registered studies on ClinicalTrials.gov. The most recent:
- Pharmacological Modulation of Hippocampal Activity in Psychosis 2
Sponsor: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Psychiatric Genotype/Phenotype Project Repository
Sponsor: Vanderbilt University
Industry payments
No payments involving this person were reported to CMS in program years 2021–2024. Why? →
Medicare prescribing footprint (2024)
The drugs this prescriber writes for Medicare patients, grouped by drug class and therapeutic area. Every percentage is a share of their total prescribing, so you can see what they prescribe most. These are proportions, not patient counts or dollar amounts. No condition is inferred: the claims record what was prescribed, never why.
Nervous system
100%Benzodiazepine52.2%Lorazepam100%Part D<11 patientsAtypical Antipsychotic47.8%Aripiprazole100%Part D<11 patients
Drug classes come from the WHO ATC and U.S. National Library of Medicine (RxClass) classifications; prescribing counts come from the CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers file. Each drug is counted once, under its primary class. Medicare fee-for-service only, so no Medicare Advantage, commercial, or pediatric prescribing is included. CMS publishes this data about 17 months after the fact.
NIH funding
Updated 27 Aug 2026
3 NIH research awards on record, funded 2005–2025 per NIH RePORTER. The latest:
- Imaging Hippocampal Function in Psychosis
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
FY2025$684,244R01MH070560 - Imaging Hippocampal Function in Psychosis
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
FY2024$836,479R01MH070560 - The General Factor of Psychopathology in Psychosis and Severe Mental Illness
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
FY2023$830,520R01MH118273
Publications
Updated 27 Aug 2026
Their five most recent publications, matched to their ORCID record and linked to PubMed.
- Psychiatric Hospitalization After Enrollment in Coordinated Specialty Care: Unexpected Gender- and Age-Related Disparities.
Schizophrenia bulletin
Article2026 - Relational Memory in Psychosis: Learning Trajectories and Associative Inference.
Schizophrenia bulletin
Article2025 - Functional organization of the primary motor cortex in psychosis and the potential role of intereffector regions in psychomotor slowing.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Article2025 - Distress and Negative Subtypes of Schizophrenia: Identification, Characterization, and Neurostructural Profiles.
Schizophrenia bulletin open
Article2025
Online presence
Updated 27 Aug 2026
This person's own public accounts first, then places where others mention them. Two different things, listed separately.
Owned accounts
public accounts run by this person- Doximity
doximity.com/pub/stephan-heckers-md
verifiedCorroborated by findmyKOL. We matched this record across two or more independent public sources (or a verified ORCID / NPI identifier bridge) before attributing it to this person.How we verify →doximity.com ↗ - ResearchGate
researchgate.net/profile/Stephan-Heckers
verifiedCorroborated by findmyKOL. We matched this record across two or more independent public sources (or a verified ORCID / NPI identifier bridge) before attributing it to this person.How we verify →researchgate.net ↗ - LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/stephan-heckers-6559a491
provisionalFound in a cited public source but not yet independently corroborated. Published as a labeled candidate and queued for verification.How we verify →linkedin.com ↗
We list an account only when the public record ties it to this person. verified means we've confirmed the match in more than one place; provisional means it looks right but we're still confirming.
Background & recognition
Updated 27 Aug 2026
Credentials, appointments and honors, newest first, each linked to the public source it came from.
Education
degrees and training on record- M.D.
Universität Cologne (University of Cologne School of Medicine), Cologne, Germany
verifiedCorroborated by findmyKOL. We matched this record across two or more independent public sources (or a verified ORCID / NPI identifier bridge) before attributing it to this person.How we verify →wag.app.vanderbilt.edu ↗ - M.Sc.
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
verifiedCorroborated by findmyKOL. We matched this record across two or more independent public sources (or a verified ORCID / NPI identifier bridge) before attributing it to this person.How we verify →wag.app.vanderbilt.edu ↗ - Clinical training in Psychiatry
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
provisionalFound in a cited public source but not yet independently corroborated. Published as a labeled candidate and queued for verification.How we verify →vumc.org ↗
Editorial & leadership roles
journal and society appointments- verifiedCorroborated by findmyKOL. We matched this record across two or more independent public sources (or a verified ORCID / NPI identifier bridge) before attributing it to this person.How we verify →wag.app.vanderbilt.edu ↗
- Director
Vanderbilt Early Psychosis Program
verifiedCorroborated by findmyKOL. We matched this record across two or more independent public sources (or a verified ORCID / NPI identifier bridge) before attributing it to this person.How we verify →news.vumc.org ↗ - Holder
Donald and Charlotte Test Clinical Directorship in Psychosis Programs
verifiedCorroborated by findmyKOL. We matched this record across two or more independent public sources (or a verified ORCID / NPI identifier bridge) before attributing it to this person.How we verify →news.vumc.org ↗
Awards & honors
honors on the public record- 2023 Outstanding Translational Research Award
Schizophrenia International Research Society (co-awarded with Anthony Grace)
2023verifiedCorroborated by findmyKOL. We matched this record across two or more independent public sources (or a verified ORCID / NPI identifier bridge) before attributing it to this person.How we verify →schizophreniaresearchsociety.org ↗ - 2018 Exemplary Psychiatrist Award
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), sole Tennessee recipient that year
2018verifiedCorroborated by findmyKOL. We matched this record across two or more independent public sources (or a verified ORCID / NPI identifier bridge) before attributing it to this person.How we verify →news.vumc.org ↗ - provisionalFound in a cited public source but not yet independently corroborated. Published as a labeled candidate and queued for verification.How we verify →schizophreniaresearchsociety.org ↗
Secondary affiliations
appointments beyond the home institution- Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
verifiedCorroborated by findmyKOL. We matched this record across two or more independent public sources (or a verified ORCID / NPI identifier bridge) before attributing it to this person.How we verify →wag.app.vanderbilt.edu ↗ - Professor of Pharmacology
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
verifiedCorroborated by findmyKOL. We matched this record across two or more independent public sources (or a verified ORCID / NPI identifier bridge) before attributing it to this person.How we verify →wag.app.vanderbilt.edu ↗ - Adjoint Professor of Nursing
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
verifiedCorroborated by findmyKOL. We matched this record across two or more independent public sources (or a verified ORCID / NPI identifier bridge) before attributing it to this person.How we verify →wag.app.vanderbilt.edu ↗
Media & interviews
press, podcasts and appearances- verifiedCorroborated by findmyKOL. We matched this record across two or more independent public sources (or a verified ORCID / NPI identifier bridge) before attributing it to this person.How we verify →news.vumc.org ↗
Every item links to where we found it. verified means we've confirmed it in more than one place; provisional means we found it and are still confirming.
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