Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA is the CEO and Co-Founder of eMed, a digital healthcare company. She is a board certified psychiatrist from Atlanta and has diverse experience as a private practicing physician, county public health officer, patient advocate and in policy, legislative and government affairs. Dr. Harris was the 174th President of the American Medical Association and the first African American woman elected to that position. Dr. Harris is a visiting professor of psychiatry at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the At-Large Medical Editor in Chief for Everydayhealth.com

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 public health departments. She has also served on the Boards of Georgia NAMI and the Mental Health Association of Georgia.

Dr. Harris led the AMA’s efforts to end the opioid epidemic and served as chair of the AMA Opioid Task Force from its inception in 2014 to 2021. Under her leadership, the Task Force 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.

Dr. Harris earned her Bachelor of Arts (BA), Master of Arts (MA) and her Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees from West Virginia University. 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 mental health into overall health care, eliminate health inequities and address trauma, particularly childhood trauma. She has long been a mentor, a role model and an advocate.

Dr. Harris is a 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.

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