In today's episode,  we interview Dr. Ashley Hughes, Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Research Health Scientist at the Edward Hines JR VA Medical Center. She received her doctoral degree in Applied Experimental Human Factors Psychology in 2016 and Masters in Modeling and Simulation in 2013 from the University of Central Florida. Her research extends human factors in health informatics to improve work processes, such as technology uptake and data use, to enhance coordination of care. Her work is widely published, is currently funded by NIH institutes, and her work is recognized by various local and national awards. 

We discuss Ashley's research on the use (and barriers to use) of technology in medicine, as well as some of the surprising findings from her work and link to physician burnout. 

The main portion of the episode is dedicated to the topic of student debt: how to avoid student debt by getting PhD funding, the long-term consequences of student debt, as well as the experience of Ashley herself, and her observations on what has changed between when she did her PhD and today. We also discuss her best advice with regard to funding the PhD for current and future PhD candidates, as well as their supervisors.

Finally, we round off with our general questions on setting boundaries, the influence of COVID-19 on her work and daily tasks, and what a day in the life looks like for Ashley (and the role of coffee in a day in the life).

Where to find Ashley Hughes and her work online

• Ashley’s university profile
• Google scholar profile
• Researchgate profile
• Twitter profile

References to topics discussed

• Taking Action Against Clinician Burnout: A Systems Approach to Professional Well-Being. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2019. 
• Electronic Health Record Usability Issues and Potential Contribution to Patient Harm  - Howe et al. 2018 
• Kaiser Health News - Death by a thousand clicks 
• The T32 and Individual awards: from NIH and from NSF
• Loan repayment plan