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Whitney Morelli, PhD

Whitney A. Morelli, PhD

Assistant Professor

Contact Information

Biography

Dr. Morelli (Welch) completed her BS and MS degrees at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and earned her PhD in Exercise Physiology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in the NCI-funded T32 training program in cancer prevention and survivorship. In 2019, she was appointed to a faculty position at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine prior to joining the MCW faculty in 2022.

Research Interests

Dr. Morelli (Welch) is an exercise physiologist whose overall research goal is to increase physical activity in populations at high risk for being inactive, with an emphasis on preventing or managing chronic disease. Her research interests and expertise include 1) understanding and improving the measurement of physical activity and sedentary behavior, 2) understanding the relationship between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and chronic disease, and 3) developing and testing innovative, technology-based physical activity interventions to manage or prevent chronic disease or physical function decline among high-risk populations (cancer survivors, older adults). Dr. Morelli is particularly interested in moving beyond the “one size fits all” physical activity prescription and developing tailored, personalized physical activity prescriptions for individuals based on their personal, social, emotional, and physical circumstances.

Publications