Faculty Profile

Suzanna Zick

Suzanna M. Zick, ND, MPH

  • Research Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine
  • Research Associate Professor, Nutritional Sciences

Suzanna Zick is a Research Associate Professor in Family Medicine and a Research Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences in the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. Dr. Zick received her degree as a naturopathic physician from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, OR and her MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

  • MPH, University of Michigan, 1999
  • ND, National College of Naturopathic Medicine, 1996

Dr. Zick's research interests include the effect of natural products for cancer prevention; the use of complementary therapies for control of cancer-related symptoms; and the impact of diet and various complementary therapies on fatigue, sleep disturbance and quality of life during cancer survivorship. Her work has mainly focused on pharmacokinetic and interventional clinical trials. Along with examining the effect of ginger root as a potential cancer prevention agent for colorectal cancer, she has also examined the impact of ginger for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and investigated if an herbal blend "Essiac" improves quality of life in a cohort of Canadian breast cancer survivors. More recently, she has been examining the effect of self-administered acupressure for improving fatigue and sleep disruption in breast cancer survivors. She has also been conducting a study looking into the interrelationship between fatigue, inflammatory cytokines and the brain neurotransmitters creatine, glutamate and gaba-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

Greenlee H, Zick SM, Rosenthal D, Cohen L, Cassileth B, Tripathy D. (2015). Integrative oncology - strong science is needed for better patient care Nature Reviews Cancer

Zick SM, Turgeon DK, Ren J, Ruffin MT, Wright BD, Sen A, Djuric Z, Brenner DE. (2014). Pilot clinical study of the effects of ginger root extract on eicosanoids in colonic mucosa of subjects at increased risk for colorectal cancer Molecular Carcinogenisis

Zick SM, Zwickey H, Wood L, Foerster B, Khabir T, Wright B, Ichesco E, Sen A, Harris RE (2014). Preliminary differences in peripheral immune markers and brain metabolites between fatigued and non-fatigued breast cancer survivors: a pilot study Brain Imaging and Behaviour

Citronberg J, Bostick R, Ahearn T, Turgeon DK, Ruffin MT, Djuric Z, Sen A, Brenner DE, Zick SM (2013). Effects of ginger supplementation on cell-cycle biomarkers in the normal-appearing colonic mucosa of patients at increased risk for colorectal cancer: results from a pilot, randomized, and controlled trial Cancer Prevention Research

Zick SM, Sen A, Han-Markey TL, Harris RE (2013). Examination of the association of diet and persistent cancer-related fatigue: a pilot study Oncology Nursing Forum

Jiang Y, Turgeon DK, Wright BD, Sidahmed E, Ruffin MT, Brenner DE, Sen A, Zick SM (2013). Effect of ginger root on cyclooxygenase-1 and 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase expression in colonic mucosa of humans at normal and increased risk for colorectal cancer European Journal of Cancer Prevention

Email: szick@umich.edu 
Office: 734-998-9553
Fax: 734-998-6900
Address: 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Ave. Lobby M, RM 2138
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105

For media inquiries: sph.media@umich.edu 

Areas of Expertise: Nutrition