Appointments and affiliations
Psychologist
Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
Scientist
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
Associate Professor
Department of Medicine
Faculty of Medicine
University of Ottawa
Heather Tulloch is a Clinical, Health, and Rehabilitation Psychologist, Scientist, and Director of the Cardiovascular Health Psychology and Behavioural Medicine Laboratory at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. She is an Associate Professor with the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Cross-appointed to the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa.
Background
Dr. Tulloch received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 1995 from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, which she followed with an MSc in Clinical Psychology from North Dakota State University in Fargo in 2000. Dr. Tulloch joined the Heart Institute as a Research Fellow in 2006. In 2007, she received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Ottawa and was awarded the Doctoral Research Award from the Canadian Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation. In 2008, she was a finalist for the Young Investigator’s Award from the European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation and became a member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario.
Dr. Tulloch is a member of the UOHI Heart Transplant Team, the Women’s Heart Team, and an advisor to the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre. She is also a member of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Network of Canada, Canadian Assocation of Preventive Medicine, and the Canadian Psychological Association. She has served as a Scientific Peer-reviewer for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Research and clinical interests
In her current role as psychologist, Dr. Tulloch provides psychological assessment and intervention services to patients with cardiovascular diseases. She conducts research on the role of behavioural, cognitive, psychological and social mechanisms and interventions for patients with cardiovascular disease and their partners, with the goal of improving cardiovascular, mental health, and quality of life outcomes.
Dr. Tulloch’s research is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Examples of funds awarded in which she is the Principal Investigator are below:
- Healing Hearts Together: An Evaluation of a Couples-based Intervention for Cardiac Patients and Their Partners (CIHR 2018-2022: $684,675)
- Sleep to Your Heart’s Content: Insomnia Intervention for Cardiac Patients (Ministry of Health Innovations Fund 2017-2019: $50,000)
- Neurocognitive, Neuroimaging, and Quality of Life Outcomes after Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (CIHR 2015-2016: $100,000; HSF 2016-2019: $150,000)
- Interventions to reduce cardiovascular disease: Real world effectiveness of combined pharmacotherapy and behavioural counselling for smoking cessation. (HSF 2010-2014: $767,302).
Publications
- Lemay, K., †Tulloch, H., Pipe, A., Reed, J. (in press). Establishing the Minimally Clinical Important Difference for the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in Patients with Heart Disease. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention.
- Reed, J., Keast, M., Beanlands, R., Blais, A., Pipe, A. & †Tulloch, H. (in press). Aerobic interval training compared to moderate-to-vigorous intensity continuous exercise training on physical and mental health in women with heart disease: A matched case-control study. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
- Tulloch, H. E., & Greenman, P. S. (2018). In sickness and in health: Relationship quality and cardiovascular risk and management. Current Opinion in Cardiology, 5, 521-528.
- *Clyde, M., Pipe, A., Els, C., Reid, R., *Fu, A., *Clark, A. & †Tulloch, H. (2018). Nicotine Metabolite Ratio and Smoking Outcomes using NRT and Varenicline among Smokers with and without Psychiatric Illness. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 32(9), 979-985
- Tulloch, H., *Heenan, A., Cupper, L., Pelletier, R., O’Farrell, P. & Pipe, A. (2018). Depression and Anxiety Screening and Triage Protocol for Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention.
- Tulloch, H., *Heenan, A., Sweet, S., Goldfield, G., Kenny, G., Alberga, A. & Sigal, R. (2017). Depressive Symptoms, Perceived Stress, Self-efficacy and Outcome Expectations Predict Fitness among Adolescents with Obesity. Journal of Health Psychology.
- *Clyde, M., Pipe, A., Els, C., Reid, R. & †Tulloch, H. (2017). Smoking Cessation Self-efficacy Questionnaire Among Smokers with and without Psychiatric Diagnosis: Factor Structure, measurement invariance and association with abstinence. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 31 (2), 162-70.
- Prince, S., Reed, J., Martinello, N., Adamo, K., Fodor, G., Hiremath, S., Kristjansson, E., Mullen, K., Nerenberg, K., Tulloch, H. & Reid, R. (2016). Why are adult women physically active? A systematic review of prospective cohort studies to identify intrapersonal, social environmental and physical environmental determinants. Obesity Reviews 17 (10): 919-944.
- Tulloch, H., Pipe, A., *Clyde, M., Reid, R. & Els, C. (2016). The quit experience and concerns of treatment-seeking smokers with psychiatric illnesses. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 50 (6): 709-718.
- Tulloch, H., Pipe, A. Els, C., *Clyde, M. & Reid, R. (2016). Flexible and extended dosing of nicotine replacement therapy or varenicline in comparison to fixed dose nicotine replacement therapy: Randomized Controlled Trial. BMC Medicine; 14(80). DOI 10.1186/s12916-016-0626-2.