John Heiligenstein

Title: Medical Advisor, Retired
Employer: Eli Lilly and Company
Prior Position: Faculty, Medical University of South Carolina

A 1967 graduate of Illinois, John received his B.S. in Zoology and was an Edmund J. James Scholar. Following medical school (Loyola), John completed residencies in pediatrics (Northwestern), child psychiatry (U of Virginia), and general psychiatry (Cornell) and is boarded in the three specialities. John served as Chief, Pediatrics, at Ft. Sheridan Army Health Center and was on the pediatric and psychiatry faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina. He joined Eli Lilly and Company in 1986 where he was involved in the development of psychiatric medications. He worked extensively on the development of Prozac and is the inventor of Strattera for its use in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the first non-stimulant approved for that disorder. While at Lilly, John had the opportunity to be involved in many interesting and innovative clinical trials. After retiring from Lilly, John consulted at the ADHD Clinic, Children’s and Women’s Hospital of British Columbia (UBC) and also to pharmaceutical companies looking to develop other non stimulants for ADHD.

John remains a proud Illini and is grateful for the outstanding professors, teaching assistants and fellow students he encountered at Illinois during his undergraduate years. Contact Christina Swanson at alumnimentor@sib.illinois.edu if you would like to connect with John.