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- John Harris, MD, MSc
John Harris, MD, MSc
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
Most obesity research focuses on preventing weight gain or helping people lose weight. I think the missing piece of knowledge is improving how each person with overweight or obesity experiences the healthcare system—more dignity, more equity, more accessibility, and more accommodation—from preventive care needs to end-of-life decisions.
John Harris, MD, MSc
Research in Brief
Dr. Harris strives to improve healthcare for women through understanding and improving how healthcare systems work.
His research focuses on how the healthcare system can improve the care for women with obesity, particularly when patients also have disability or severe illness. Using large survey and claims datasets as well as in-depth patient and provider interviews, he is striving to understand how people with obesity receive care in the US healthcare system and how to improve that care for the millions of people with obesity. This work has looked at preventive and end-of-life care, and he is presently investigating long-term care, especially nursing home care.
He has also examined how to improve healthcare access and quality in gynecologic care. He is interested in issues of access and quality in hysterectomy and infertility care.
Current Projects
Developing and Testing an Evidence-Based Toolkit for Nursing Home Care of Residents with Obesity
Project Title: Developing and Testing an Evidence-Based Toolkit for Nursing Home Care of Residents with Obesity
Funding: AHRQ 1R01 HS026943 (PI: Harris) 7/01/18-4/30/24
Selected Publications
- Foley C, Donnellan N, Harris JA. Tissue Extraction in Gynecologic Surgery: Past, Present, and Future. Clinical Obstetric and Gynecology. Clin Obstet Gynecol. 2020 Jun;63(2):305-319. doi: 10.1097/GRF.0000000000000511. PMID: 31850944.
- Harris JA, Castle NG. Obesity and Nursing Home Care in the United States: A Systematic Review. Gerontologist. 2019 May 17;59(3):e196-e206. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnx128. PubMed PMID: 29253135
- Harris JA, Engberg J, Castle NG. Organizational and Geographic Nursing Home Characteristics Associated with Increasing Prevalence of Resident Obesity in the United States. J Appl Gerontol. 2019 Apr 25:733464819843045.
- Harris JA, Garrett AG, Akers AY. Disparities in Human Papillomavirus vaccination prevalence and age of administration by body mass index among US women: population-based cross-sectional analysis. Womens Health Issues 2018 Nov 13. pii: S1049-3867(18)30289-5
- Harris JA, Castle NG. Obesity and Intensive Staffing Needs of Nursing Home Residents. Geriatr Nurs. 2018 Jun 5. pii: S0197-4572(18)30120-4.
- Harris JA, Menke MN, Haefner JK, Moniz MH, Perumalswami CR. Geographic access to assisted reproductive technology healthcare in the United States: a population-based cross-sectional study. Fertil Steril. 2017. Apr;107(4):1023-1027.
- Harris JA, Sammarco A, Swenson CA, Uppal S, Kamdar N, Morgan DM. Association of a potential perioperative care process bundle and postoperative complications reduction among hysterectomy in Michigan. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2017 May;216(5):502.e1-502.e11.
- Byhoff E, Harris JA, Ayanian JZ. Characteristics of Decedents in Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare. JAMA Intern Med. 2016 Jul 1;176(7):1020-3.
- Harris JA, Iott B, Power R, Moniz M, Griggs JJ. Obesity and the Receipt of Influenza and Pneumococcal Immunization: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. BMC Obesity. 2016, 3(1):1-11.
- Harris JA, Herrel LA, Healy MA, Wancata L, Perumalswami CR. Milestones for the Final Mile: Interspecialty Distinctions in Primary Palliative Care Skills Training. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2016 Sep;52(3):345-352.
- Harris JA, Byhoff ER. Variations by State in Physician Disciplinary Actions by US Medical Licensure Boards. BMJ Qual. Saf. 2016 Mar 23.
- Harris JA, Swenson C, Uppal S, Kamdar N, Mahnert N, As-Sanie S, Morgan DM. Practice patterns and postoperative complications before and after US Food and Drug Administration safety communication on power morcellation. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2016 Jan; 214(1):98.
For additional publications, visit Pubmed.