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
Leptin’s Role in Cancer Susceptibility
August 30, 2018 – While the link between obesity and breast cancer risk is well known, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Obesity alters many conditions in cells and within the body, and it is not easy to determine which of these conditions are important to the obesity-cancer link. Consequently, it is very difficult to identify potential therapeutic targets.
Cheatham Lab Memory Game Pilot Study
August 30, 2018 – The Cheatham Nutrition & Cognition Lab at the NRI is undertaking a new pilot study with 12- and 24-month-old children called the Memory Game Pilot Study. In this study the lab seeks to validate the props used in the elicited imitation paradigm, a nonverbal means of assessing recall memory in preverbal children. The props, which have been designed and produced in the Cheatham lab, will be implemented with a group of young children of the same ages in an already-planned, collaborative study with Emory University.
A Chance I Might Discover Something
This article was published originally in July/August 2018 Carolina Alumni Review. July 31, 2018 – From his lab in a textile mill-turned-food research center, a UNC scientist has brought an important...
Salad – It’s in the Bag
July 31, 2018 – From our neighbors at the Dole Nutrition Institute comes helpful information about a healthful summertime dining option.
Bagged salads are just what you need when you have unannounced guests or for those times when you just don’t want to turn on the oven! It’s the one item that should always be in your fridge so you can take advantage of recipes like our Chipotle Spring Rolls, a real crowd pleaser! This month we’re setting the record straight on this mealtime shortcut by answering your questions and addressing concerns about bagged salads and salad kits.
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.