APA Member Patrice Harris, M.D., Takes Office as President of AMA

Jun 11, 2019

CHICAGO — Patrice Harris, M.D., M.A., a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), was sworn in today as President of the American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s largest medical society with roughly 250,000 members.  

Harris was elected president-elect of the AMA in June 2018. She served on the AMA Board of Trustees beginning in 2011 and was secretary in 2014-2015 and chair in 2016-2017. She is currently chair of the AMA Opioid Task Force. As a practicing psychiatrist trained in child/adolescent and forensic psychiatry, she consults with both public and private organizations on health service delivery and is an adjunct assistant professor in the Emory Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

“We look forward to the opportunity to continuing to work with Dr. Harris on many issues, including further collaboration within the house of medicine to improve the quality of care for our patients,” said Bruce Schwartz, M.D., president of the APA.

Harris, who has also served on the APA Board of Trustees, previously served as the Director of Health Services in Fulton County, Ga., and the head of the Fulton County Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. As chief health officer for Fulton County, she spearheaded efforts to integrate public health, behavioral health and primary care. She is a past president of the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association.

“We are honored and delighted to have a psychiatrist and longtime APA member and leader leading the house of medicine as President of the AMA,” said APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A. “Her work over the years at the APA and AMA will add value to her new role as the face of the AMA.”

American Psychiatric Association

The American Psychiatric Association, founded in 1844, is the oldest medical association in the country. The APA is also the largest psychiatric association in the world with more than 38,500 physician members specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and research of mental illnesses. APA’s vision is to ensure access to quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. For more information please visit www.psychiatry.org.

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