Faculty & Staff

Julie Johnson Zerwic, PhD, RN

Associate Professor and Interim Head
Department of Biobehavioral Health Science

NURS 744
UIC College of Nursing (MC 802)
845 South Damen Avenue
Chicago, IL 60612-7350

Phone: 312.996.8431
Email: juljohns@uic.edu

Research / Discovery
Dr. Zerwic conducts research on individuals' experiences with cardiovascular disease. She is particularly interested in patients' interpretations of cardiovascular symptoms and access to health care during a myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke. She is currently funded to develop a computerized program focused on improving African American men's recognition of MI symptoms and risk factors (NIH grant #NR08750).

Current Research Projects:
Tailored Intervention to Increase MI Symptom Recognition.

Teaching / Learning
Dr. Zerwic teaches in both the graduate and undergraduate programs. She is involved in teaching and coordinating courses for nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist students in the Department of Biobehavioral Health Science. In addition, she lectures every semester on topics related to the cardiovascular system and heart disease. Dr. Zerwic also teaches doctoral level courses such as "Measurement in Health Research" and a research seminar on ethical issues in conducting health research.

Service / Practice
Dr. Zerwic is an active participant in the American Heart Association at both the national and local levels. Dr. Zerwic is an active volunteer at the Erie Helping Hands clinic, serving on the Board of Directors. Erie Helping Hands is a clinic that provides health care to the underserved in the city of Chicago. In addition, she is active in a variety of college and university committees, including the Biomedical Institutional Review Board at UIC.

Current Research Projects:

• Tailored Intervention to Increase MI Symptom Recognition
• Reducing Disparities in Underserved Populations (Co-I)
• Center for Reducing Risks in Vulnerable Populations (CRRVP) (Co-I)