Zachary Yukio Kerr

Dr. Zachary Yukio Kerr is an Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina, and serves as Core Faculty with the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center.  Dr. Kerr completed an undergraduate degree in Communication and Spanish at the University of Washington (Seattle, WA) in 2004, and earned two Master’s degrees at The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH) in Journalism and Communication (2006) and Epidemiology (2010). Dr. Kerr obtained a doctoral degree in Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2014, and previously served as the Director of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program.

As Core Faculty in the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center, Dr. Kerr’s research and expertise provides leadership in the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center’s focus area of traumatic brain injury. An additional research focus involves the evaluation of injury prevention strategies related to concussion and heat stroke, particularly via injury surveillance and survey research. Dr. Kerr’s work has been funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Health, National Football League, National Athletic Trainers’ Association Research and Education Foundation, and National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment.

Dr. Kerr’s collaborations with numerous injury prevention, athletic training, and sports medicine experts have resulted in the publication of over 230 research articles. In 2018, Dr. Kerr was the recipient of the New Investigator Award, awarded by the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Kerr is highly interested in work related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI), and currently serves on the College of Arts and Sciences DEI Strategic Plan Committee, the Classrooms Modernization Advisory Group (CMAG). Dr. Kerr is also a Carolina Covenant mentor.