Dr. Patrice Harris, a renowned child and adolescent psychiatrist from Atlanta, is immediate past president of the American Medical Association.

As a private practicing physician, public health administrator and strong patient advocate, Dr. Harris has been an active leader in organized medicine for her entire career. The first African American woman to hold the position of AMA president, Dr. Harris is a trailblazer and a widely respected national voice about issues pertaining to public health, health equity and mental health. 

Dr. Harris served on the AMA’s Board of Trustees since 2011, including a term as chair. She has also served as chair of the AMA Opioid Task Force since its inception in 2014 and has held leadership positions with the American Psychiatric Association, the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association and other organizations.

A distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Harris continues in private practice and currently consults with both public and private organizations on service delivery and emerging trends in health care. She 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 Morehouse School of Medicine.

Dr. Harris is a West Virginia-native and she earned her MA in counseling psychology and MD at 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.