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Michael J. Zigmond, PhDProfessor of Neurology, Psychiatry, and NeurobiologyAssociate Director, Survival Skills & Ethics Program |
In addition to being a researcher, Dr. Zigmond has been actively involved in education at the local, national, and international levels for more than 30 years. In 1985, as the director of an NIH-funded training program in neuroscience, he initiated the workshops that would evolve into the Survival Skills and Ethics Program.
Dr. Zigmond served on numerous national committees related to training, professional development, and research integrity: He was a member of the Institute of Medicine’s Committee that produced the report on Integrity in Scientific Research: Creating an Environment that Promotes Responsible Conduct, and was an advisor on the National Academy of Sciences’ On Being a Scientist, 3rd edition; Advisor, Teacher, Role Model, Friend; and Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience. He chaired the Society for Neuroscience’s committee charged with developing the guidelines Responsible Conduct Regarding Scientific Communication, and he is a member of the editorial advisory board for Science and Engineering Ethics.
Dr. Zigmond was the senior editor of a textbook, Fundamental Neuroscience, 1st edition, which includes in its text ethics cases for discussion, and he is the current Editor-in-Chief of Progress in Neurobiology. He is a past president of the Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs, and a past secretary of the Society for Neuroscience.
His research focuses on neuronal death and neuroprotection as they apply to neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Parkinson’s disease. He currently is investigating the influence of stress and exercise on the vulnerability of dopamine-containing neurons to neurotoxins.
