William (Bill) Hersh, M.D. Closed Now

Dr. William (Bill) Hersh, M.D., is a globally recognized leader in biomedical informatics, best known for his groundbreaking contributions to informatics education, workforce development, and information retrieval in healthcare. As a physician and educator, Dr. Hersh has dedicated his career to training generations of professionals in health data systems and advancing the role of informatics in modern medicine.

He is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology (DMICE) at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), where he has built one of the most influential informatics education programs in the United States. Under his leadership, OHSU developed pioneering graduate programs, online courses, and short-term training initiatives that have reached learners worldwide.

Dr. Hersh played a pivotal role in shaping the health IT workforce during the expansion of electronic health records (EHRs) in the U.S., particularly after the HITECH Act. His federally funded training programs helped equip thousands of clinicians, IT professionals, and researchers with essential informatics skills to improve health system performance.

Beyond education, his research has advanced the field of information retrieval, natural language processing (NLP), and clinical decision support systems. He has published extensively on methods for improving the accessibility and usability of biomedical information, ensuring clinicians and researchers can make better data-driven decisions.

Dr. Hersh is also widely recognized as a thought leader in informatics policy and professional certification. He has been active in the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) and has influenced how informatics competencies are defined for medical and health professionals.

Through his teaching, publications, and mentorship, Dr. Hersh has shaped not only OHSU’s program but also the global landscape of biomedical informatics education. His contributions continue to resonate as the demand for informatics expertise grows in the era of AI, big data, and precision medicine.