Dr. Tracy S. Hejmanowski is a licensed clinical psychologist, with 26 years of experience working with military and civilian first responders. Her military involvement began with assessments of repatriated Prisoners of War (POWs) and ultimately led to her serving as an active duty Navy psychologist, then as the program manager for a Deployment Health Center for 11 years. Hejmanowski has served as the sole civilian on the Pentagon-level U.S. Air Force Ready Firefighter working group to establish behavioral health programming and policy. She volunteered as a lead facilitator for veterans retreats for 10 years and continues working as a contractor with Navy and Army Special Forces focused on optimizing post-deployment resilience and readiness.

In 2018, Hejmanowski entered her second career phase within the law enforcement and fire service communities. She currently specializes as a public safety psychologist and serves as an embedded consultant, peer support and CISM trainer and internal crisis response provider for four sheriffs’ offices and two fire departments in Florida. In 2020, Hejmanowski founded First Responder Project, an all-volunteer non-profit that provides no-cost retreats for all first responders and their families.

Hejmanowski frequently presents across the country on the complexity of occupational exposure and trauma-related subjects and she trains clinicians in first responder occupational awareness and cultural competency. She has been recognized with the National Combat Operational Stress Control Caregiver of the Year, Healthcare Hero of Jacksonville, and Fire Service Psychology Association’s Psychologist of the Year awards for her prevention and intervention initiatives.

Tracy lives with her husband in northeast Florida, from where they stay very closely connected with their four children, who are embarking on college and early careers.

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