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Miriam C. Morey

Professor Emeritus of Medicine
Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care
N3007 GRECC Bldg VAMC, Box 182, Durham, NC 27705

Overview


The general focus of Dr. Morey's work is exercise and aging. All of her research examines how physical activity, exercise training, or physical fitness influence the physical functioning and/or pyschosocial quality of life of older adults. She directs a supervised hospital-based program for older adults, which is used to examine longitudinally the effects of exercise training on the musculoskeletal, articular, and cardiorespiratory systems. Furthermore, she has a number of studies that examine how system-wide impairments serve as preclinical indicators of disability and overall decline in the quality of life of older adults. Ongoing studies examine the role of exercise training in attenuation or reversal of functional decline and examination of the effectivenes of different methods of physical activity counseling for home-based exercise.
Dr. Morey's research evolves directly from three sources: (1) primary analyses of clinical trials regarding the impact of exercise on a specific outcome, (2) longitudinal analyses of participants in ongoing clinical exercise programs, and (3) secondary analyses of clinical trials which involve exercise or physical activity.
Although physical activity and exercise are the interventions of interest in all of these studies, the outcomes of interest vary considerably. Within the broad domain of aging, Dr. Morey has examined the impact of exercise on physical performance, well-being, sleep quality, disability, and functional limitations. More recently, Dr. Morey has several studies focusing on the effect of tailored telephone physical activity counseling to improve function in elders. Specific studies are targeted to newly diagnosed cancer survivors, long-term cancer survivors, and frail elders in geriatric and primary care settings.
Dr. Morey's expertise is in the area of exercise physiology and aging. She has specific knowledge in age-related changes in cardiorespiratory functioning, the effects of habitual exercise (longitudinal) on performance, and exercise programming for older adults.


Key Words: Exercise, maximal oxygen uptake, cardiorespiratory fitness, aging, disability,
functional limitations, longitudinal

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor Emeritus of Medicine · 2022 - Present Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care, Medicine

In the News


Published October 24, 2019
A Push for Exercise to Heal Older Veterans With PTSD
Published August 3, 2016
Adults over 50 lose their footing as their balance declines
Published July 26, 2016
What you can do in your 20s and 30s to prevent physical decline in your 50s and 60s

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Recent Publications


Longitudinal analysis of physical function in older adults: The effects of physical inactivity and exercise training.

Journal Article Aging Cell · January 2024 Lack of exercise contributes to systemic inflammation and is a major cause of chronic disease. The long-term impact of initiating and sustaining exercise in late life, as opposed to sustaining a sedentary lifestyle, on whole-body health measures such as ph ... Full text Link to item Cite

Ageing and physical resilience after health stressors.

Journal Article Stress Health · September 2023 The objectives of this article are to introduce a conceptual framework for physical resilience in the context of ageing and to discuss key elements and challenges in the design of studies of physical resilience after health stressors. Advancing age is asso ... Full text Link to item Cite

Physical Function Effects of Live Video Group Exercise Interventions for Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Veteran's Gerofit Group Case Study.

Journal Article Telemed J E Health · June 2023 Background: Literature on telehealth interventions for older adults has been primarily on asynchronous interventions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, older adult exercise programs transitioned to an online format. This systematic review and case study examin ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Sickle Cell Disease Functional Assessment Validation and Exercise Pilot Intervention

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute · 2023 - 2028

Duke Creating ADRD Researchers for the Next Generation - Stimulating Access to Research in Residency Program (CARiNG-StARR)"

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2025

Characterizing frailty in older adults with sickle cell disease using a sickle cell frailty index (FI-SCD)

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2021 - 2023

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 1997 Ph.D.