The First Black Woman to Lead the American Medical Association
Patrice Harris, a practicing psychiatrist in Atlanta, has been chosen to be the 174th president of the American Medical Association. She will serve for one year as president-elect and become the first African American woman to lead the organization in June 2019.
Dr. Harris has served on the American Medical Association Board of Trustees since June 2011. She is a past president of the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association. She was the founding president of the Georgia Psychiatry Political Action Committee. In 2001 Dr. Harris was selected Psychiatrist of the Year by the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association. She is an adjunct assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University in Atlanta.
Dr. Harris is a native of Bluefield, West Virginia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in counseling psychology, and a medical doctorate, all from West Virginia University. She conducted her residency in psychiatry at Emory University.
Below is a video produced by Dr. Harris for her campaign to lead the American Medical Association.
