Foundational Skills for Communicating About Health

Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan (UM) School of Public Health, as well as a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. He is also a member of the UM Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and a leader at the UM Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine. With a Ph.D. in Behavioral Decision Theory from Carnegie Mellon University, Zikmund-Fisher employs his interdisciplinary expertise to explore the factors influencing individuals' ability to use data for making informed health and medical decisions that align with their values. He develops and teaches graduate courses on health risk communication, effective message design, and communication fundamentals. His research intersects with his teaching, focusing on designing visual displays that enhance public understanding of health information, the impact of numeracy on health data interpretation, and the effectiveness of narrative in communication. Notably, he created iconarray.com, a free online tool for generating icon array risk graphics. His research interests span various topics, including laboratory test results, medication choices, vaccination, genetic testing, dioxin exposure, and cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship.