Heaton’s program of research is primarily focused on the effectsof sleep deprivation and obstructive sleep apnea on cognition and injury risk in workers. For example, she has been involved in projects that explored the impact of distraction and health issues on driving and driving performance issues among aging truck drivers, and self-assessment of driving performance compared to real-time simulated driving performance among truck drivers. Heaton earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the UAB School of Nursing in 1981.