Zimring’s research focuses on understanding the relationships between the physical environment and human satisfaction, health, performance and behavior. Recent successes include his lead role in developing the New York City Active Living Design Guidelines and a significant research grant from the United States Department of Defense Military Health System to evaluate and upgrade its hospitals and clinics.

The list is administered by the editorial board of Healthcare Design Magazine and resulted from an internal nomination process, public voting online and votes from the magazine’s publishing partners at The Center for Health Design.