Dr. Zich grew up in central Illinois. He graduated with Honors from the University of Illinois with a major in Material Science Engineering and a minor in Biomedical Engineering.

 

He attended medical school at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine with a quarter-time research position in the area of spine research. While there in 1993, Dr. Zich founded the Medical Student Ambassador Program which remains a core student group at University of Iowa two decades later. He was selected to participate in a Pathology Externship which gave him an additional year of intensive training in the pathologic basis of disease. He was later awarded the Oxford Clerkship allowing him to spend two months as an honorary member of Green College at Oxford University, studying both Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine (Accident and Emergency) at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, England. At graduation he was awarded the Hancher Finkbine Medallion, one of the highest awards given at University of Iowa.

 

Dr. Zich subsequently completed a dual-training residency at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, serving as Chief Resident in his final year. After becoming board certified in both Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine, he was appointed faculty at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in 2001. For 15 years he served as Assistant Professor of Medicine and taught both Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) and Feinberg School of Medicine. During this time he has contributed to chapters in Rosen’s Textbook of Emergency Medicine, Adam’s Textbook of Emergency Medicine, and Practical Teaching in Emergency medicine. He has a special interest in the appropriate use of antibiotics and was principle investigator at NMH for the multi-centered IMPAACT trial, Improving Antibiotic use in Acute Care Therapy. He has been recognized for his outstanding evidence-based teaching, as well as for his compassionate interactions with patients.

 

Complementing his academic work mentioned above, Dr. Zich has been recognized as a Fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the American College of Emergency Physicians, denoting high achievement and fulfillment of rigorous professional standards for both specialties.

 

Dr. Zich has been recognized for his ability to explain complex medical topics to the general public. He has become a reliable source of medical information both locally and nationally. He appeared regularly on Chicago Fox News at Noon on their health segment. Amongst other outlets, he has been on Oprah, News spots on Today, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Good Morning America, as well as all local Chicago news channels, radio stations, and newspapers. He has also appeared in two separate press conferences with Senator Dick Durbin.

 

To better align his schedule with that of his family, Dr. Zich moved to a private concierge medical practice in July of 2013. He has maintained limited teaching duties at Feinberg School of Medicine as well as the department of Emergency Medicine, and continues to work with Fox News and other media outlets to educate the general public on current medical topics. Given his degree in Engineering and Minor in Biomedical Engineering, the research appointment at University of Iowa, the Pathology Externship, the international training through the Oxford Clerkship, dual training in two medical specialties of Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine, as well as 12 years practicing and teaching in a major academic center, Dr. Zich has become arguably one of the most highly trained Private Medical Practitioners in the country.