Co-Founder & CEO, eMed; former President, American Medical Association
Health Evolution Leadership Committee

PATRICE A. HARRIS, MD, MA, LFAPA, is a practicing psychiatrist trained in child and adolescent and forensic psychiatry. Dr. Harris is the Chief Executive Officer and Principal of Health Strategies Enterprises, LLC, a private practice and consulting services firm, Medical Director of Odyssey Family Counseling, and Chief Health and Medical Editor of Everyday Health.   Dr. Harris cofounded eMed, a digital health company and served as its founding Chief Executive Officer.    Dr. Harris was the 174^th President of the American Medical Association and the first African American woman elected to that position.

Dr. Harris is a board-certified psychiatrist in Atlanta and has diverse experience as a private practicing physician, county public health leader and patient advocate.  She has deep experience and expertise in public policy on both legislative and regulatory fronts and at all levels of government.

Dr Harris served on the AMA Board of Trustees (BOT) from 2011-2021 and as chair of the BOT from 2016 to 2017.   Prior to serving on the board, Dr. Harris honed her broad knowledge and deep understanding of the health care system through various leadership roles. At the AMA these included having served for many years on the AMA Council on Legislation, including a term as chair, and on multiple AMA task forces on topics such as health information technology, payment and delivery reform, and private contracting.

Dr. Harris led the AMA’s efforts to end the opioid /overdose epidemic and served as the founding chair of the AMA Opioid Task Force from its inception in 2014 to 2021.    Dr. Harris led the Task Force as it worked across every state to eliminate barriers to treatment, provide patients with access to affordable, non-opioid pain care, and fight the stigma faced by those with substance use-disorders.

Beyond the AMA Dr. Harris has held positions of leadership with the American Psychiatric Association, the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association, the Medical Association of Georgia, and The Big Cities Health Coalition, where she chaired this forum composed of leaders from America’s largest metropolitan health departments and served as an inaugural  member of the Steering Committee of the Atlanta Regional Collaborative for Health Improvement (ARCHI).     Dr. Harris serves on the boards of United Bankshares Inc., Acadia Healthcare, the deBeaumont Foundation, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and West Virginia University; she is a commissioner on the National Commission on Local Public Health Leadership.

Growing up in Bluefield, West Virginia, Dr. Harris dreamt of entering medicine at a time when few women of color were encouraged to become physicians. It was during this time that her passion for helping children emerged.  Dr. Harris earned a BA in psychology and an MA in counseling psychology at West Virginia University and her medical degree (MD) at the West Virginia University School of Medicine.  She completed her psychiatry residency and fellowships in child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry at the Emory University School of Medicine. She also served as the senior policy fellow at the Barton Child Law and Policy Center at the Emory University School of Law.

Two themes that govern Dr. Harris’s professional life are a passion to improve the lives of children and service to others. A recognized expert in children’s mental health and childhood trauma, Dr. Harris has led efforts on both local and national levels to integrate public health and behavioral health into overall healthcare and addressing the health inequities and the social determinants of health and the intersection of athletics and mental health.   She has long been a mentor, a role model and an advocate.

Dr. Harris is a highly sought after speaker at national and international conferences and has given invited lectures and presentations on leadership, children’s mental health, childhood trauma, public health crises and preparedness, integration of mental health into overall health services, health policy, and the intersection of athletics and health and technology and health.   She has been a guest expert on multiple national radio and television networks including CNN, MSNBC, Fox and NPR.  Dr. Harris has received numerous awards in recognition of her service and leadership.

Dr. Harris is a life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and is an adjunct assistant professor in the Emory Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and an adjunct clinical assistant professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Morehouse School of Medicine.