John.Batsis@unc.edu
919-966-5945
John A. Batsis, MD
CRC Medical Director, Associate Professor of Medicine
Dr. Batsis has dedicated his professional career to caring for older adults through clinical care, research and education. The privilege of helping older adults maximize their physical function and quality of life through patient-centered, compassionate care serves as a daily motivation in his work. His role as a clinician-researcher allows him to apply scientific principles of inquiry to enhance clinical care for an older adult population. Through learning and discovery, he aims to advance healthy aging by improving goal-directed care and healthcare delivery for older adults.
Dr. Batsis’s academic work focuses on three main areas: (a) understanding the relationships between obesity and sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass, strength and/or function with aging) and important outcomes for older adults; (b) developing multicomponent interventions (diet and exercise) to improve physical function in older adults; and (c) using novel technologies (telemedicine, remote monitoring, Internet-of-Things devices) and collaborating with transdisciplinary scientists (engineers and computer scientists) to improve the health and well-being of older adults.
Read: Dr. John Batsis Presents Keynote at AI Technology Center Consensus Guidelines Workshop
Read: Dr. Batsis Presents at American Diabetes Association Annual Meeting
Read: Dr. Batsis talks to Stat about new weight loss drugs
Watch: Dr Batsis – ‘Everyone has their own secret sauce’
Read: Doctors Assess Opportunities Gained, Lost through Medicare’s Annual Wellness Visits
Read: Batsis Discusses Five Common Medications That Can Cause Weight Gain
In the News
The Invisible Middle of Research
At the UNC Nutrition Research Institute, discovery does not happen in a single moment. Between the first research question and the final publication is the careful, often unseen work of planning, recruiting participants, gathering data, building teams, and refining ideas. This invisible middle is where science takes shape.
Natalia Krupenko, PhD, and Stephen Hursting, PhD, named 2026 Excellence in Nutrition Fellows of the American Society for Nutrition
The UNC Nutrition Research Institute is proud to celebrate Natalia Krupenko, PhD, and Stephen Hursting, PhD, MPH, who have been named 2026 Excellence in Nutrition Fellows of the American Society for Nutrition.
The FASN designation recognizes distinguished members of ASN for their ongoing contributions to the field of nutrition and sustained engagement in the nutrition community. For Krupenko and Hursting, the honor reflects not only individual achievement, but also the long-term impact of research that is helping shape how scientists understand the relationship between nutrition, metabolism, chronic disease, and lifelong health.
The Making of a Scientist: Halle Meyers’s NRI Experience
Halle Meyer’s journey at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute began in 2020, when she joined the institute as a 21-year-old research technician in the lab of Sergey Krupenko, MD, PhD. Nearly six years later, she successfully defended her dissertation, earned her PhD in Nutrition from UNC-Chapel Hill, and leaves the NRI with not only scientific expertise, but a deep appreciation for the community and mentorship that shaped her along the way.
NGx Highlights NRI’s Pioneering Role in Precision Nutrition and Exercise Across the Lifespan
Publications
2026
2025
The Relationship Between a Mediterranean Diet and Frailty in Older Adults: NHANES 2007-2017.
Changes in senescence markers after a weight loss intervention in older adults with obesity.
Editorial: Clinical uses and alternative approaches of frailty determination.
Tailoring Obesity Management to Support Physical Function in Older Adults.
Treating Sarcopenic Obesity in the Era of Incretin Therapies: Perspectives and Challenges.
New Drugs and Same Blind Spots-Rethinking Obesity Care in Later Life.