Photo of John Morris, PhD at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research in Boston, MA

John Morris, PhD

  • Senior Scientist
  • Alfred A. and Gilda Slifka Chair in Social Gerontological Research
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Areas of Research

Dr. Morris’s primary research interests are issues relating to comprehensive assessment, developing quality indicators, long-term care, functioning, cognition, and clinical conditions. With collaborators in interRAI (a network of researchers in over 30 countries committed to improving health care for persons who are elderly, frail, or disabled) and Hebrew SeniorLife, he has developed Quality Indicators for use in long-term care, post-acute care, and home care.

Dr. Morris was the Task Leader for the federally mandated CMS project to develop the nursing home MDS and Resident Assessment Protocols. He was also the Principal Investigator in the development of the MDS Version 2.0. In interRAI he has co-authored the RAI-HC system for evaluating the needs, strengths, and preferences of elderly clients of home care agencies, as well as the RAI system for post-acute care. Dr. Morris is an interRAI Board Member and serves as chairman of the Instrumentation System Development Committee (ISD). With his ISD Committee members he has led the development of the interRAI Clinical Assessment Protocols (CAPs) for use in many settings, including home care and long-term care. 

Research Areas

Learn more about the areas of research where Dr. Morris focuses.
A researcher at the Marcus Institute for Aging Research in Boston, MA studies MRI images of a human brain.

Brain Health

Through pioneering multidisciplinary research, the Marcus Institute is uncovering new answers to the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, delirium, and other changes to the brain.

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A scene of a hospital floor at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Boston, MA, with a nurse standing and working on a computer in the background and a blood pressure monitor in the foreground.

Health Care Services and Policy

The Marcus Institute seeks to effect change in policies that impact the care of older adults by identifying age-related conditions that have an outsized impact on health care utilization and costs, while developing interventions that mitigate the issues.

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A research subject at the Marcus Institute for Aging Research stands on a measuring platform with a computer read-out reflected on the wall behind.

Physical Health and Function

Through the Marcus Institute’s research we are learning how older adults can maintain independence and quality of life.

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Current Projects

View Dr. Morris's current projects. 

Individualized CARE for Older Persons with Complex Chronic Conditions at Home and in Nursing Homes (I-CARE4OLD)

This EU-funded project aims to individualise healthcare for the ever growing group of older persons with chronic complex conditions. From 2021-2025, an international, multidisciplinary team of experts in healthcare and artificial intelligence are combining their specific insights; working with big, real world data acquired for over 30 years to develop a state-of-the art digital platform providing decision support for healthcare professionals treating this particular complex group of persons. The developed solution is expected to lead to improved treatments, enhancing the quality of life of older persons with chronic complex conditions and their relatives, the quality of care, and reduce the costs of care for society as a whole.

I-CARE4OLD

Principal Investigator