Adam Rule

Adam Rule is an Assistant Professor at the Information School (iSchool) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is a member of the Collaborative Computing Group and holds affiliate and honorary appointments in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, the Division of General Internal Medicine (Department of Medicine), and the Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics.

Education:

• PhD in Cognitive Science, UC San Diego, 2018
• MS in Human Centered Design & Engineering, University of Washington, 2013
• BS in Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2011

His research lies at the intersection of human-computer interaction, health informatics, and human-centered data science. He studies how clinicians interact with electronic health records (EHRs), using event logs and audit trails to analyze clinical workflows, documentation practices, and collaboration in healthcare. His work also explores how data is used in storytelling and decision-making processes.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on EHR metadata, clinician workload, gender disparities in EHR use, note redundancy, and methodological rigor in studying digital clinical behaviors. The work spans top journals such as JAMIA, JAMA Network Open, and Journal of General Internal Medicine, reflecting both technical and clinical impact.

Scientific Awards:

• Honorable Mention at CHI 2018 for work on computational notebooks

Adam Rule teaches courses in interaction design and user experience, including LIS 341, LIS 612, LIS 613, and LIS 615. He advises students in information science and collaborates across disciplines to improve healthcare through better data and design. His research emphasizes clinician engagement and trust when employing EHR data for care improvement.

He leads projects within the Collaborative Computing Group, focusing on making data systems more transparent, usable, and equitable for healthcare professionals.