Wei receives K23 award to address multimorbidity in older adults

Melissa Wei, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., a clinical lecturer in internal medicine, has received a Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) from the National Institute on Aging.

Wei’s research focuses on multimorbidity (multiple chronic conditions) and functional outcomes in aging and older adults.

Multimorbidity is a major and growing challenge for patients, their families, and healthcare systems, but current measures for multimorbidity fail to capture the diversity, severity, and synergy among diseases using patient-reported outcomes. In this project, Wei will develop a more robust measure of multimorbidity that captures the impact of multiple conditions on physical functioning.

This research will produce an improved multimorbidity tool that may be used to help guide and improve the management, quality of care, and prognosis of older adults with multimorbidity.

Wei’s mentoring team includes Ken Langa, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine, Laurence McMahon, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine, Tim Hofer, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine, and advisers from the U-M Pepper Center.

Wei is also a member of the Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging (MiCDA) and the Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation.