BIO

Robert Zucker’s major research interest is the etiology of substance abuse over the life span, and preventive programming that will change course. An ongoing community based prospective high risk family study of initially preschool age children and their substance abusing parents, a longitudinal study started in 1987, provides the core database for this work. Seven spin off projects using the longitudinal sample focus on the relationship of macrolevel community and neighborhood influences to individual behavior, and the interplay between genetic vulnerability, brain function, behavior, socialization structure, and life phase task variation in producing troubled outcomes. Current teaching involves a field based research methods course for undergraduates, research mentoring of postdoctoral fellows, and post-residency physicians, and lecturing to medical school residents and medical students. A NIDA/Fogarty International Center funded program supports development of the substance abuse research infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe. Current work is primarily in collaboration with Ukrainian and Polish scientists. Prior work also involved collaborations with Slovakia and Latvia.

Dr. Zucker is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School and a Professor of Psychology, LSA.