Faculty Spotlight: Will Heise, MD

Will Heise, MD, is using his research in the Program for Clinical Decision Support to help doctors make decisions when time is of the essence.

Dr. Heise became a research scientist and joined the faculty at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix in August. His research with the Program for Clinical Decision Support at the College includes building, studying and improving tools in the electronic medical record (EMR) to support evidence-based practice and take advantage of the constant surveillance an EMR provides.

“The Program for Clinical Decision Support is a new initiative of the College within the Department of Biomedical Informatics to improve health outcomes and safety through the EMR by designing, implementing, evaluating and improving clinical tools that help clinicians make timely decisions,” Dr. Heise said.

The research is especially helpful when doctors must make quick decisions, such as in cases of sepsis, low platelets caused by heparin use and life-threatening heart arrhythmias caused by common medications. These problems will be the initial focus of their research.

A good clinical decision tool should “make it easy to do the right thing,” Dr. Heise said. The Program for Clinical Decision Support will leverage the capabilities of the EMR in innovative clinical applications that encompass the prevention of adverse drug events, efficient diagnoses and evidence-based treatments. His team will employ careful consideration of usability in the design process, provide clinicians with an integrated mechanism for feedback, monitor operating characteristics and revise the logic periodically to enhance clinical adherence.

Dr. Heise also practices in the Banner Health Department of Medical Toxicology and is affiliated with Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix and Phoenix Children’s Hospital. His goal is to establish the College and Banner as leaders in using EMR to improve health outcomes.

Dr. Heise attained his undergraduate degree in biology from Bob Jones University in South Carolina and his medical degree at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in 2010.

As a fourth-year medical student, Dr. Heise wasn’t sure what specialty he wanted to pursue. He came across Medical Toxicology while doing research online, which led him to a rotation at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix. After his rotation, he finished his residency in Family Medicine and a fellowship in Medical Toxicology at Banner.

Dr. Heise enjoys doing outreach through the poison center at Banner, lecturing on behalf of the toxicology department. He continues to teach classes at elementary schools, which he began while a medical student ambassador. Through reaching out to youngsters, he is able to show children what happens when someone has been poisoned, and he is able to engage and excite students about medicine.