Nick Heller is one of those guys whose life passions can make your head spin. Nick is a volunteer with Hennepin Healthcare Volunteer Services and so much more.
Nick studied computer science at the University of Minnesota and finished his PhD last year. He chose computer science because of how broadly it can be applied, and how quickly it can make change. He adds, "It's everywhere. You can study computing and then go on to pursue something totally different but those skills will always be relevant and useful to whatever you do."
Through collaboration with the medical school during his PhD research, Nick found himself drawn to the clinical side of the world which brought him to Hennepin Healthcare. His experience at Hennepin started with a stretch in inpatient pediatrics starting in 2021 when volunteers first came back during COVID. He was able to help patients and their families with entertainment options, like iPads and X-boxes, again putting his tech expertise to use in a new setting.
Nick's research focuses on applying image analysis techniques to predict treatment response and outcomes for patients with kidney cancer. "There is an enormous amount of useful information contained in a medical image like a CT scan," Nick explains, "but much of this information is too subtle or intricate for radiologists to extract." Through computing and very large datasets, Nick is able to "teach" the computer to extract patterns that are relevant to what he is trying to predict.
Nick first started working on kidney cancer research as an undergraduate in 2016 when his advisor applied for a grant with then-University of Minnesota urologic oncologist, Dr. Chris Weight. The grant was funded right as he graduated, so he decided to stay at the U for his graduate studies to further pursue the project. During COVID, Dr. Weight left Minnesota to become the Center Director for Urologic Oncology at Cleveland Clinic, but they continued to collaborate from afar as Nick finished his studies. Nick then joined the staff of the Cleveland Clinic urology department as a PhD scientist, and he splits his time between Ohio and Minnesota.
When Dr. Weight joined the U of MN, he founded a charitable organization called Climb 4 Kidney Cancer, which hosted an annual "Break the Bank" fundraiser to climb every stair in the Gopher football stadium. The organization also facilitates self-funded mountain climbs by Dr. Weight and others in honor of, and sometimes with, kidney cancer patients. With Dr. Weight now in Cleveland, the first annual "Climb Cleveland for Kidney Cancer" stadium climb took place last month at the Cleveland State University basketball stadium, and Nick served as the Event Director.
In April of last year, Nick moved from pediatrics to the Cancer Center where he continues to volunteer as often as he can. Nick's future? Perhaps an application to medical school. "I really like my current position, and I know I'm a bit old," he admits, "but I think my background in research and technology would help me to be a good physician, and I know that hands-on experience as a physician would help me to be a better scientist." Whatever happens, we hope he stays with Hennepin Healthcare and volunteers as long as he can!
