Therese Zink

Therese Zink is a distinguished family physician and academic in the field of Medicine. She received her medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine in 1985, following a BA summa cum laude from Marquette University in 1977, and later obtained an MPH in Public Health Administration from the University of Minnesota in 1992. Currently serving as Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Clinical Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University's Alpert Medical School and School of Public Health since 2018, Dr. Zink has held prominent leadership positions throughout her career. These include Chair and Professor of the Department of Family Medicine at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine from 2014 to 2017, Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota from 2006 to 2013, and Associate Professor and Assistant Professor positions at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine from 1998 to 2004. She has practiced as a family physician and faculty at sites including Providence Community Health Center in Rhode Island, Olmsted Medical Center in Minnesota, and HealthPartners Institute.

Dr. Zink's research specializations encompass intimate partner violence with emphasis on its impacts on older women and children, rural medical education, global family medicine, health disparities in sexual assault, and medical professionalism. She has produced numerous peer-reviewed publications, including 'Barriers to medicaid enrollment in Minnesota: Some implications for health system reform' (JAMA, 1994), 'Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: Do Female Victims Cost Health Plans More?' (Journal of Family Practice, 1999), 'Cohort, Period and Aging Effects: A Qualitative Study of Older Women’s Reasons for Remaining in Abusive Relationships' (Violence Against Women, 2003), 'Intimate Partner Violence: Physicians’ Experiences with Women over 55' (Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, 2004), 'Older Women’s Descriptions and Understandings of Their Abusers' (Violence Against Women, 2006), and 'A Lifetime of Intimate Partner Violence: Coping Strategies of Older Women' (Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2006). Dr. Zink was awarded the US Fulbright Scholar Flex Award from 2019 to 2022 for faculty development in Family Medicine at An-Najah National University in Palestine. She has edited collections of medical narratives, published COVID Chronicles on essential workers during the pandemic, and mentored students in research and writing.

Professional Email: therese_zink@brown.edu