Marc Zimmerman elected to the National Academy of Medicine
Today, University of Michigan School of Public Health researcher Marc Zimmerman was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Each year, NAM elects exceptional researchers to the academy for their contributions and research in health and medicine. One hundred were elected as members, with four from the University of Michigan, including Michigan Medicine faculty members Kenneth Langa and Erica Marsh, and University of Michigan President Santa Ono. Langa, Cyrus Sturgis Professor of Medicine, also has an appointment in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the School of Public Health.
Zimmerman is the Marshall H. Becker Collegiate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior & Health Equity at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He also co-directs the U-M Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, a University of Michigan presidential initiative developed in 2019 to address the growing problem of firearm violence in the United States.
Zimmerman’s research focuses on the application and development of empowerment theory and positive youth development. His interests include evaluating individual and community resilience and contextual influences on community health.
His work also focuses on youth violence and firearm injury prevention as well as developmental transitions and longitudinal models of change. He has translated his research on individual and community risk and promotive factors to develop and evaluate community-based programs with an emphasis on prevention of community violence.
Zimmerman has led many projects evaluating violence prevention such as community greening and vacant lot reuse, school safety programs and community firearm injury prevention. He also leads or co-leads federally funded initiatives including the National Center for School Safety (Bureau of Justice Assistance funded), the NIH-funded Community Firearm Violence Prevention Network, the CDC-funded Prevention Research Center of Michigan and the CDC-funded Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center. He is also the founding scholar and led development and evaluation of the evidence-based after school program Youth Empowerment Solutions.
Most of his work includes community prevention program development and evaluation with community partners. Zimmerman also conducts survey research, longitudinal studies and more in-depth qualitative approaches. He has over 30 years of experience leading multidisciplinary teams and coordinating large initiatives.
In 2019, Zimmerman received the University of Michigan President’s Award for Public Impact, recognizing his significant contributions to public health and community well-being. He currently serves as editor of Youth & Society and is editor emeritus of Health Education & Behavior. He is also a member of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.
Kate Williams of the U-M Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention contributed to the content of this story.
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