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Professor, University of Minnesota School of Public Health • Irwin Rosenstock Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health
Ken Resnicow, Ph.D., is a leading expert in health behavior change and Professor at both the University of Minnesota and University of Michigan. His research spans motivational interviewing, health equity, and eHealth innovation, with a focus on underserved populations and culturally tailored interventions.
Ken Resnicow, Ph.D., is a globally recognized expert in health behavior change and a leading voice in advancing equity through culturally tailored interventions. He currently serves as the Irwin Rosenstock Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and is also a professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Over the past four decades, Dr. Resnicow has been the principal investigator or co-investigator on more than 80 NIH and other federally funded studies.
His research spans a wide range of public health priorities—including smoking cessation, obesity prevention, cancer screening and survivorship, substance use, genetic testing, COVID-19 vaccination, youth violence, and firearm safety. A hallmark of his work is a deep commitment to reducing health disparities through interventions that are both evidence-based and culturally responsive, particularly among African American, Latinx, Middle Eastern and North African, and Native Alaskan communities.
Dr. Resnicow is widely known for his pioneering use of Motivational Interviewing (MI) as a framework for health communication, and his integration of Self-Determination Theory and Chaos Theory into behavior change science. His more recent work incorporates novel behavioral tailoring methods and eHealth technologies, including mobile apps, SMS-based interventions, and web platforms that deliver personalized, scalable health messaging.
He has authored over 440 peer-reviewed publications and has collaborated with researchers in more than 25 countries, including South Africa, Brazil, Australia, Israel, and Romania. From 2019 to 2023, he served on the National Advisory Council for the NIH’s National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD).
Whether designing interventions in churches, salons, clinics, or schools, Dr. Resnicow’s work consistently reflects his belief that behavior change is most effective when it meets people where they are—culturally, emotionally, and personally.
