Acadia Healthcare Strengthens Board with Addition of Former American Medical Association President
Dr. Patrice A. Harris brings a rare combination of clinical expertise, public health leadership, and health policy experience to the behavioral health sector. Her appointment to the board of Acadia Healthcare in October 2023 underscores a career defined by service, advocacy and an ongoing focus on integrating behavioral health with primary care.
A board-certified psychiatrist, Dr. Patrice A. Harris has held leadership roles across organized medicine for more than two decades. She served as the 174th president of the American Medical Association, becoming the first African American woman to hold that office, and previously chaired the AMA Opioid Task Force. Her tenure on the AMA Board of Trustees included roles as secretary and chair, reflecting longstanding engagement with the association’s governance and legislative agenda. She has also been active within the American Psychiatric Association and served as an APA delegate to the AMA.
Her public health credentials include service as director of Health Services for Fulton County, Georgia, where she oversaw a broad portfolio of public safety, behavioral health, and primary care programs for the Atlanta region. In that role she led efforts to better integrate public health, behavioral health and primary care services, an area now central to national discussions on care delivery and outcomes. At the state level, Dr. Patrice A. Harris has led the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association and launched the Georgia Psychiatry Political Action Committee, demonstrating sustained commitment to state policy and physician advocacy.
Clinically and academically, Dr. Patrice A. Harris combines direct patient care with teaching and entrepreneurship. She completed medical training at West Virginia University and psychiatric and child psychiatry fellowships at Emory University. She maintains a private practice, holds adjunct professorships at Emory, Columbia and Morehouse schools of medicine, and is co-founder and chief executive officer of a digital healthcare company launched in 2020. Her work on digital solutions complements her policy focus on health information technology and access to care.
Throughout her career, Dr. Patrice A. Harris has been a prominent voice on pressing public health issues. She has lectured and testified on child welfare, childhood trauma, opioid addiction, mental health parity, and the intersection of athletics and health. Her frequent media appearances on national outlets reflect an ability to translate complex clinical and policy topics for broad audiences.
Acadia Healthcare’s decision to add Dr. Patrice A. Harris to its board aligns with the company’s strategic priorities in behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment. Her expertise in clinical psychiatry, system-level integration and policy development positions her to advise on quality of care, regulatory engagement and strategic growth as the sector responds to rising demand for mental health services.
As health systems and policy leaders seek to expand access while improving outcomes, leaders with combined clinical, administrative and advocacy experience are increasingly important. The addition of Dr. Patrice A. Harris to corporate and academic boards is likely to influence conversations about integrating behavioral health into broader health delivery systems, advancing equitable access, and shaping the next phase of innovation in mental health care.