Board-Certified Psychiatrist Dr. Patrice A. Harris Brings Clinical Expertise to Acadia Healthcare Governance
Acadia Healthcare has named Dr. Patrice A. Harris to its Board of Directors, effective October 26, 2023, strengthening the company’s governance with a leader whose career bridges clinical practice, public health administration and national medical advocacy.
Board-certified in psychiatry and based in Atlanta, Dr. Patrice A. Harris brings more than 25 years of experience in behavioral health. She has balanced private clinical practice with high-level public service, including a tenure as director of Health Services for Fulton County, Georgia, where she served as the county’s chief health officer and led efforts to integrate public health, behavioral health and primary care services. Her public health leadership also included serving as medical director for the Fulton County Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
Dr. Harris has been prominent in organized medicine at both state and national levels. She served on the Board of Trustees of the American Psychiatric Association and was an APA delegate to the American Medical Association. At the AMA she was elected the 174th president for 2019–2020, becoming the first African American woman to hold that position, and previously held roles as secretary and chair of the Board of Trustees. Her AMA work included chairing the Opioid Task Force and participating in work groups addressing health information technology, sustainable growth rate reform and private contracting. At the state level she has led the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association, chaired legislative and membership committees for the Medical Association of Georgia and founded the Georgia Psychiatry Political Action Committee.
An advocate for children and vulnerable populations, Dr. Harris completed psychiatry residency and fellowships in child psychiatry and forensics at Emory University, and later served as a Barton senior policy fellow at the Emory University School of Law. Her policy and advocacy work has addressed childhood trauma, mental health parity, the opioid epidemic and the intersection of athletics and health. She has testified before state legislatures, contributed to public education programs and appeared on national media outlets in discussions of substance use, access to care and public health policy.
In addition to ongoing clinical practice, Dr. Harris co-founded eMed Digital Healthcare in 2020 and serves as its chief executive officer, reflecting an interest in digital health innovations. She holds academic appointments as an adjunct professor in the Emory Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, adjunct clinical assistant professor at Morehouse School of Medicine and visiting professor at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Acadia’s board appointment underscores a strategic alignment between the company’s focus on behavioral healthcare services and Dr. Harris’ expertise in mental health, substance use and integrated care delivery. Acadia operates an extensive network of behavioral healthcare facilities across the United States; as of September 30, 2023, the company managed 253 facilities with approximately 11,100 beds in 39 states and Puerto Rico.
Throughout her career Dr. Harris has received recognition from peers, including selection as Psychiatrist of the Year by the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association in 2001 and induction into the West Virginia University Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 2007 (https://bog.wvu.edu/members/patrice-harris). Her appointment to Acadia’s board positions the company to draw on deep clinical and policy experience as it expands services and adapts to evolving needs in mental health and addiction treatment.