Brian Zikmund-Fisher, PhD

Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, as well as a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School.  He is also a core investigator and Director of the Internet Survey Lab at CBDSM. 

Dr. Zikmund-Fisher studied economics and psychology at Swarthmore College before getting his doctorate in behavioral decision theory at Carnegie Mellon University. Although he began his academic career in behavioral economics, Dr. Zikmund-Fisher moved from studying consumer choice to medical decisions after surviving a bone marrow transplant. 

Much of Dr. Zikmund-Fisher's current research focuses on risk perceptions (especially understandings of cumulative, dynamic, and incremental risks), developing graphical displays to improve understanding and make people's impressions of risks more consistent, and the affective experience of risk. Other research interests include how decision making processes vary across different medical and health decisions, the communication of genetic test results to patients, individual numeracy, discrepancies between decisions for others vs. for oneself, and the effects of uncertainty and information evaluability on people's health and healthcare choices. 

Brian's personal interests include juggling, rollerblading, Asian food, romping with his son and daughter, and recruiting stem cell donors. 

Recent Publications:

Testing whether decision aids introduce cognitive biases: Results of a randomized trial
Ubel PA, Smith DM, Zikmund-Fisher BJ, Derry HA, McClure JB, Stark AT, Wiese C, Greene SM, Jankovic A, Fagerlin A. Patient Education and Counseling 2009.

Women's decisions regarding tamoxifen for breast cancer prevention: Responses to a tailored decision aid
Fagerlin A, Zikmund-Fisher BJ, Smith DM, Nair V, Derry HA, McClure JB, Greene SM, Stark AT, Alford SH, Lantz PM, Hayes DF, Zweig SC. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 2009;119:613-620.

Recent Press Coverage:

At-Risk Women Unlikely to Take Tamoxifen
December 04, 2009

Doctors often take the decider role, to patients' detriment
USA Today - February 23, 2009