John Batsis, MD
Associate Professor
Division of Geriatric Medicine
School of Medicine
Associate Professor
Gillings school of Global Public Health
John A. Batsis, MD, FACP, FTOS, AGSF, FGSA, joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, School of Medicine, with a joint appointment in the Department of Nutrition in the Gillings School of Global Public Health as an Associate Professor in September 2020. Dr. Batsis is a clinician-researcher, with board certification in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, and Obesity Medicine. He obtained his undergraduate degree with Great Distinction from McGill University in 1997. He then received his Medical Degree with Honors from the University of Dublin, Trinity College, in 2002, after which he completed his residency training in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine between 2002-2008. He holds a Certificate in Translational Science Activities from Mayo Graduate School of Medical Education. During 2008-2020, he was a faculty member at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth until his transition to UNC. He continues to provide clinical care in the outpatient and nursing home setting to older adults with multimorbidity and frailty.
Dr. Batsis’ research explores the association of obesity, sarcopenia, and impaired function in older adults and has 130 peer-reviewed publications. He is funded by the National Institute on Aging (National Institutes of Health) for projects focusing on strategies of improving Wellness in Older Adults with Obesity using video-conferencing and remote monitoring technologies in rural areas. He is also actively involved in developing, testing, and implementing novel mobile health-based technologies in populations at risk for functional decline. Dr. Batsis has an interest in body composition changes, specifically during weight loss efforts, explicitly highlighting the importance of sarcopenic obesity. He has received several clinical and research accolades. Dr. Batsis is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, American Geriatrics Society, and The Obesity Society. He is heavily involved in national committee work in these organizations and is on the editorial boards of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and the Journal of Gerontological Medical Sciences.