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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.

Discovering best practices for care of obese residents in skill nursing facilities

Project Title: Discovering best practices for care of obese residents in skill nursing facilities
Funding: NIH/NICHD K12 HD063087 (Awardee: Harris), 7/01/16-6/30/19
Project Title: Obesity and Patient Satisfaction with Hospitalization and Post Acute Care
Funding: Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Michigan (PI: Harris), 9/01/2015-6/30/2016

  • 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, Castle NG. Obesity and Nursing Home Care in the United States: A Systematic Review. Gerontologist. 2017 Dec 14.
  • Harris JA, Byhoff ER, Perumalswami CR, Langa KM, Wright AA, Griggs JJ. The Relationship of Obesity to Hospice Use and Expenditures: A Cohort Study. Ann Intern Med. 2017 Feb 7. [Epub ahead of print]
  • 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 Mar 14. [Epub ahead of print]
  • 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. (In press)
  • 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.