Jessica Ancker, MPH, PhD, FACMI

Jessica S Ancker, MPH, PhD, FACMI, is professor in the departments of biomedical informatics and health policy, and vice chair for educational affairs in the department of biomedical informatics. Her clinical informatics research focuses on clinician and patient use of information technology for improved decisions. She has done several research projects on supporting best practices through ‘nudges,’ which are features of the environment and design that encourage (but do not require) the selection of recommended options. Unobtrusive design features, such as default options, pre-checked boxes, auto-complete functions in forms, or ordering within lists and order sets, can provide effective ‘nudges.’ Dr. Ancker also routinely does research into patient portals, including retrospective analyses of patient and provider behavior as well as prospective research on usability and user-centered design. Visit her departmental page for more information.