Permission from Dr. Morisky is required to use the copyrighted Morisky Scales (MMAS-4 and MMAS-8), the most commonly used validated measure of medication non-adherence.
History of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scales
Areas of Interest:
Planning and evaluation of patient- and community-based health education programs; international health; adherence to medical recommendations; STI/HIV-AIDS prevention; hypertension, diabetes, and tuberculosis control (adolescents and adults).
Dr. Morisky served as Vice-Chair in the UCLA Department of Community Health Services from 1994 to 2003 and Department Chair from 2004-2005. His research is directed to both chronic and infectious diseases, specifically the risk factors for cardiovascular disease (high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and elevated cholesterol), tuberculosis control and HIV/AIDS prevention. He has conducted research in the Philippines for over 30 years, currently analyzing results of a 10-year NIAID- funded program “Behavioral Research in Support of AIDS Prevention in the Philippines”. He is currently a Co-Investigator on a NIA research grant addressing medication-taking behavior among the elderly in collaboration with the Oschner Clinic at Tulane University.
Education:
ScD, The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health
ScM, The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health
MSPH, University of Hawaii
BS (Chemistry/Physics), University of Arizona
Doctoral Advisor
Masters Advisor
PhD Committee Member
DrPH Committee Member
MS Thesis Committee Member
MS Report Committee Member
History of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scales
- 1983 - American Journal of Public Health published results from my doctoral dissertation focused on long term outcomes of 400 hypertensive patience who were given educational counseling on the importance of medication taking vs. a control group who were not given any counseling.
- 1983 - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recommended the educational protocol to become standard medical practice in the clinical setting.
- 1986 - Creation of MGL: Medical Care Journal published results of the impact on educational interventions on behavioral change and the scale became the Morisky, Green, and Levine Medication Adherence Questionnaire MGL MAQ.
- 1986 - Creation of the MMAS-4: Morisky Medication Adherence Scale MMAS-4 was developed based on many focus group sessions with anti-tuberculosis medication patients to gain insights in patient responses to the MGL.
- 1993 - 1997 - Creation of the MMAS-8: Morisky Medication Adherence Scale MMAS-8 was developed on an NIH research grant where I was an external consultant at the Marin Luther King Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles. A great deal of effort has been put into the development of the MMAS-8 relative to medication taking behavior questions.
Areas of Interest:
Planning and evaluation of patient- and community-based health education programs; international health; adherence to medical recommendations; STI/HIV-AIDS prevention; hypertension, diabetes, and tuberculosis control (adolescents and adults).
Dr. Morisky served as Vice-Chair in the UCLA Department of Community Health Services from 1994 to 2003 and Department Chair from 2004-2005. His research is directed to both chronic and infectious diseases, specifically the risk factors for cardiovascular disease (high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and elevated cholesterol), tuberculosis control and HIV/AIDS prevention. He has conducted research in the Philippines for over 30 years, currently analyzing results of a 10-year NIAID- funded program “Behavioral Research in Support of AIDS Prevention in the Philippines”. He is currently a Co-Investigator on a NIA research grant addressing medication-taking behavior among the elderly in collaboration with the Oschner Clinic at Tulane University.
Education:
ScD, The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health
ScM, The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health
MSPH, University of Hawaii
BS (Chemistry/Physics), University of Arizona
Doctoral Advisor
Masters Advisor
PhD Committee Member
DrPH Committee Member
MS Thesis Committee Member
MS Report Committee Member