Margaret Heitkemper is Professor and Chairperson, Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, and Adjunct Professor, Division of Gastroenterology, at the School of Medicine at the University of Washington. She is also Director of the National Institutes of Health–National Institute for Nursing Research–funded Center for Women’s Health and Gender Research at the University of Washington.

In the fall of 2006, Dr. Heitkemper was appointed the Elizabeth Sterling Soule Endowed Chair in Nursing. Dr. Heitkemper received her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Seattle University, her Master of Science in gerontologic nursing from the University of Washington, and her doctorate in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Illinois at the Medical Center, Chicago. She has been on faculty at the University of Washington since 1981 and has been the recipient of three School of Nursing Excellence in Teaching awards and the University of Washington Distinguished Teaching Award.  In addition, in 2002 she received the Distinguished Nutrition Support Nurse Award from the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN), in 2003 the American Gastroenterological Association and Janssen Award for Clinical Research in Gastroenterology and in 2005 she was the first recipient of the Pfizer and Friends of the National Institutes for Nursing Research Award for Research in Women’s Health.  In 2006 Dr. Heitkemper received the American Academy of Nursing Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science Outstanding Nurse Scientist Award.