Brian Zikmund-Fisher, PhD

Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher studied economics and psychology at Swarthmore College before getting his doctorate in behavioral decision theory at Carnegie Mellon University. Although Dr. Zikmund-Fisher began his academic career in behavioral economics, he moved from studying consumer choice to medical decisions after surviving a bone marrow transplant. Much of his 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 using the National Survey of Medical Decisions (the DECISIONS study) to examine how decision making processes vary across different medical decisions, the mediating impact of individual numeracy on risk communications, discrepancies between decisions for others vs. for oneself, and the effects of uncertainty and information evaluability on treatment choices by both physicians and patients. Brian's personal interests include juggling, rollerblading, Asian food, romping with his son and daughter, and recruiting stem cell donors.

Recent Publications:

Alternate methods of framing information about medication side effects: incremental risk versus total risk of occurrence.
Zikmund-Fisher BJ, Fagerlin A, Roberts TR, Derry HA, Ubel PA. Journal of Health Communication. 13(2):107-124, 2008.

Considering adaptation in preference elicitations.
Damschroder LJ, Kulpa JJ, Ubel PA, Zikmund-Fisher BJ. Health Psychology. In Press, 2008.

Recent Press Coverage:

In Medicine, Acceptable Risk Is in the Eye of the Beholder
NY Times - June 20, 2006

Doctors, Patients Take Different View on Tough Medical Choices
Health Day - June 02, 2006