Born and raised in rural central Illinois, Lyndsey Heise, MD, grew up knowing she wanted to be a doctor someday, and she first served in the military for three years before continuing her education. She completed her medical degree at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, followed by her internal medicine residency at University of Nebraska College of Medicine in Omaha, Neb., and her infectious disease fellowship at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

“I think infectious disease is so important,” Dr. Heise says. “If you look back in the history of medicine, all the major interventions or advancements that we’ve made in terms of improving human longevity have been within the field of infectious diseases. And looking forward, I think it’s going to become increasingly important as the globe becomes more interconnected. So I think it’s a fascinating field, both historically and today.”

Board certified in internal medicine, Dr. Heise will practice as a general infectious disease physician, seeing adults with anything from HIV and sexually transmitted diseases to severe common infections and illnesses like pneumonia, urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections. She is most looking forward to building relationships with patients, especially on the basis of good communication. “I think in a patient-provider relationship, communication is the most important thing. So as we develop a relationship, I hope patients feel that they can have an open and honest conversation with me every time we meet.”

When she’s not in the office, Dr. Heise gardens, cooks and watches documentaries. She and her fiancé both still serve in the military; she is in the Army National Guard, and he is a chaplain for the Army Reserves—“a provider in a different way,” as Dr. Heise puts it.

Dr. Heise will be located with the Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine team at Springfield Clinic 1st – 900 Building at 900 North 1st Street in Springfield. The specialists with the Infectious Diseases & Travel Medicine team provide diagnosis and management of many chronic, complex, unexplained and potentially life-threatening infections. “Patient care is what gets me out of bed in the morning,” Dr. Heise says. “That’s the thing that I love, that’s the thing that makes all the difference. I really enjoy connecting with patients and their families. When we see them in the hospital, it’s often the worst day of their life or one of the worst days of their life. If you can bring peace of mind or bring some information to them, that can be really rewarding at
the end of the day.”

To learn more about Dr. Heise and the Infectious Diseases Department, click here.