Dr. Jack Banks is from Limerick, Ireland. Dr. Banks is a Health Systems Scientist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health's Institute on Aging (IOA), where he works under the mentorship of Dr. Aanand Naik. His research interests span digital health, implementation science, AI-assisted clinical decision support, mixed-methods research, and patient-centered care for older adults with multiple chronic conditions.
Jack received his BSc in Human Health and Disease and PhD in Clinical Medicine from Trinity College Dublin. His doctoral research examined the needs and wants of people with epilepsy, their careers, and healthcare providers with regard to using digital tools for epilepsy self-management.
Education
PhD, Trinity College Dublin, 2022
BSc, Trinity College Dublin, 2018
Research
Dr. Banks' work at UTHealth Houston centers on developing and evaluating AI-powered tools to support older adults in articulating their health priorities before high-stakes clinical encounters. His primary project, PrioritiesAI, is a pilot randomized controlled trial testing a conversational AI chatbot designed to help older adults with multiple chronic conditions prepare for elective surgical consultations by clarifying and communicating what matters most to them. The project integrates implementation science principles with mixed-methods evaluation, including qualitative thematic analysis, feasibility assessment, and patient-centered outcome measurement.
Alongside this work, Dr. Banks leads qualitative analyses examining how Patient Priorities Care influences deprescribing practices in older adults and supports a randomized controlled trial evaluating the implementation of patient priorities care in VA geriatric primary care clinics. He also contributes to strategic planning and research development across the IOA, and plays a central role in translating research findings into actionable clinical and organizational insights