Victor Strecher
Professor and Director for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan
Currently, as Director for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship, Dr. Strecher is working in the UM School of Public Health and the University of Michigan to create an environment that promotes more direct dissemination of research efforts to improve the public’s health nationally and globally. His book, On Purpose: Lessons in Life and Health From the Frog, the Dung Beetle, and Julia, is written for the lay public with a professional comic illustrator as a graphic novel and is accompanied by a free iOS app, a website, and smartphone and web apps. Dr. Strecher’s research and book focuses on the importance of developing and maintaining a strong purpose in life. In 1998, Dr. Strecher founded HealthMedia, an Ann Arbor-based company that has grown to over 185 employees, creating digital health coaching programs for millions of users. In 2008 HealthMedia was purchased by Johnson & Johnson.