Through her research Nikki aims to understand how trainees acquire, retain and integrate complex forms of knowledge and use that knowledge to solve clinical problems. Applying principles from cognitive science to clinical reasoning, Nikki’s work shows that experts and novices are often completely unaware of the processes and knowledge structures that impact their decisions. By investigating the learning and memory in the laboratory, Nikki’s work aims to better understand how fundamental cognitive processes such as categorization and feature recognition influence diagnosis and management of patients in real life. At CACE, Nikki uses her research on clinical reasoning and expertise development advance the development of teaching tools and techniques in ambulatory care.