Kristine Zimmermann, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor
Contact: | kzimme3@uic.edu
Kristine Zimmermann, PhD, MPH first joined the CRWG staff in 2003 and is currently a CRWG faculty affiliate. She is also an assistant professor in the Division of Health Research and Evaluation in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, UIC College of Medicine Rockford and a faculty affiliate in the UIC School of Public Health.
Dr. Zimmermann is a mixed-methods researcher who engages communities in research with the goal of developing and implementing relevant, acceptable, accessible, and effective community-based health promotion strategies. A primary focus of her research involves the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practice in rural and under-resourced settings, with particular interests in women’s health, chronic disease risk reduction, and use of technology for disease prevention and management. After working with primarily older adults for several years, Dr. Zimmermann is currently focused on developing strategies to support cardiovascular health for rural women in the perinatal period.
Dr. Zimmermann also has extensive experience evaluating public health programs in collaboration with state and local health departments and community partners
PUBLICATIONS
Original Research (Peer-Reviewed)
*Zimmermann, K., Muramatsu, N., Molina, Y., Carnahan, L.R., Geller, S.E. (2023). Application of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to understand implementation context of a cardiovascular disease risk-reduction intervention in rural churches. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 13(3), 236-244. https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibac110
* Selected as “Editor’s Choice” for the issue in which article was published
* 2023 UIC School of Public Health Research Article Award Honorable Mention
Khare, M.M., Zimmermann, K., Kazungu, F., Pluta, D., Ng, A., Mercadante, A., Law, A.V. (2022). COVID-19 vaccine attitudes and barriers among unvaccinated rural residents. Ethnicity & Disease, 32(4): 305-314. doi:10.18865/ed.32.4.305
Khare, M.M., Zimmermann, K., Lyons, R., Locklin, C., & Gerber, B. (2021). Feasibility of Promoting physical activity using mHealth technology in rural women: the Step-2-It study. BMC Women’s Health, 21, 415. doi.org: 10.1186/s12905-021-01561-5
Dalstrom, M., Guth, B., Lizer, C., Zimmermann, K., & Khare, M.M. (2021). Supporting a rural wellness intervention through assessing and mapping rural physical activity environments. Preventive Medicine Reports, 24, 101567. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101567
Carnahan, L.C., Rauscher, G.H., Watson, K.S., Altfeld, S., Zimmermann, K., Ferrans, C.E., Molina, Y. (2021). Comparing the roles of social context, networks, and perceived social functioning with health-related quality of life among rural female cancer survivors. Supportive Care in Cancer, 29(1): 331-340. doi: 10.1007/s00520-020-05497-8
Strayhorn, S.M., Carnahan, L.R., Zimmermann, K., Hastert, T.A., Watson, K.S., Ferrans, C.E., & Molina Y. (2020). Comorbidities, treatment-related consequences, and health-related quality of life among rural cancer survivors. Supportive Care in Cancer, 28(4): 1839-48. doi: 10.1007/s00520-019-05005-7
Zimmermann, K., Carnahan, C., Khare, M. M., Chakraborty, A., Risser, H. J., Molina, Y., & Geller, S. (2019). Effectiveness of a faith-placed cardiovascular health promotion intervention for rural adults. Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice, 12(6): Article 8. Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/vol12/iss6/8
Handler, A., Zimmermann, K., Dominik, B., Garland, C. (2019). Universal early home visiting: A strategy for reaching all postpartum women. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 23(10): 1414-1423. doi: 10.1007/s10995-019-02794-5
Carnahan, L.R., Zimmermann, K., Khare, M.M., Paulsey, E., Molina, Y., Wilbur, J., & Geller, S.E. (2018). Physical activity and masculinity in rural men: A qualitative study of men recruited from churches. Health Education Research, 33(2):145-154.
Molina, Y., Zimmermann, K., Carnahan, L.R., Paulsey, E., Bigman, C.A., Khare, M.M., Zahnd, W., & Jenkins, W. (2018). Rural women’s perceptions about cancer disparities and contributing factors: A call to communication. Journal of Cancer Education, 33(4), 749-756.
Zimmermann, K., Carnahan, L., Paulsey, E., & Molina, Y. (2016). Healthcare eligibility and availability and healthcare reform: Are we addressing rural women’s barriers to accessing care? Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 27(4A), 204-219.
Zimmermann, K., Carnahan, L.R., & Peacock, N.R. (2016). Age-associated perceptions of physical activity facilitators and barriers among women in rural southernmost Illinois. Preventing Chronic Disease, 13, E138.
Carnahan, L.R., Zimmermann, K., & Peacock, N.R. (2016) What rural women want the public health community to know about access to healthful food: A qualitative study, 2011. Preventing Chronic Disease, 13, E57.
Zimmermann, K., Khare, M.M., Wright, C., Hasler, A.C., Moehring, P.A., Kerch, S., & Geller, S.E. (2015). Application of a gender-based approach to conducting a community health assessment for rural Illinois women. Evaluation and Program Planning, 51, 27-34. doi:10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2014.12.004
Zimmermann, K., Khare, M.M., Koch, A.R., Wright, C., & Geller, S. (2014). Training intervention study participants to disseminate health messages to the community: a new model for translation of clinical research to the community. Clinical and Translational Science, 7(6), 476-481. doi: 10.1111/cts.12239
Khare, M.M., Koch, A., Zimmermann, K., Huber, R., Moehring, P.A., Wright, C., Hasler, A.C., & Geller, S.E. (2014). Heart Smart for Women: a lifestyle change intervention to reduce cardiovascular risk in rural women. Journal of Rural Health, 30(4), 359-68.
Zimmermann, K., Khare, M.M., Huber, R., Moehring, P.A., Koch, A., & Geller, S.E. (2012). Southern Seven women’s initiative for cardiovascular health: lessons learned in community health outreach with rural women. American Journal of Health Education, 43(6), 349-355.
Avery, A., Zimmermann, K., Underwood, P.W., & Magnus, J.H. (2009). Confident commitment is a key factor for sustained breastfeeding. Birth, 36(2), 141-148.