The Fulton County Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities is a division of the Fulton County Health & Human Services Division.  Dr. Patrice Harris is the Director of Fulton County Health Services, and the head of the Fulton County Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities.

Fulton County Health Services consists of the Fulton County Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities, & the Fulton County Department of Health & Wellness.

Patrice A. Harris, M.D.

 

Director of Health Services,
Fulton County Department of Health and Human Services

Serving a population of over 915,000 people Patrice A. Harris, M.D., directs the administration of all Fulton County Health Services, managing the operation of a large public health network with community-based, neighborhood health centers.

In addition to the community-based neighborhood health centers, this organization includes mobile health units and several collaborative health partnerships that deliver a wide range of public health treatment and prevention services. She is actively involved in public health promotion through presentations, consultations, lectures and teaching on the collegiate level.

As the Executive Secretary for the Fulton County Board of Health, she reports all public health issues to the members of the County Board of Health. She is currently a clinical associate professor in the Emory University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

Since 1988, Dr. Harris has been actively involved in the legislative process on both the state and national levels. From January 2001 to December 2004, she worked as a Senior Policy Fellow addressing public policy for abused and neglected children, and her responsibilities included legislative advocacy and education. Dr. Harris lectures nationally on topics of children’s mental health, juvenile law, addiction, health care disparities, and advocacy for abused and neglected children.

Dr. Harris was the Medical Director of the Fulton County Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities before she became the Director of Health Services. Dr. Harris is past president of the Black Psychiatrists of America and is a past member of the American Psychiatric Association Board of Trustees. She serves on the American Medical Association’s Council on Legislation. Dr. Harris is a past president and member of the Legislative Committee of the Georgia Psychiatric Physician’s Association and was selected as the 2000-2001 Psychiatrist of the Year in Georgia. Dr. Harris serves on the boards of NAMI, Mental Health America-Georgia and the Advisory Board of Skyland Trail. In 2007, Dr. Harris was inducted into the West Virginia University Academy of Distinguished Alumni. She is the youngest graduate to have achieved this honor. She has appeared on The Today Show and CNN and has been featured on numerous national and local radio shows.

Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA is a graduate of the West Virginia University School of Medicine and completed residency and fellowship training at the Emory University School of Medicine. In addition to her general psychiatry training, she completed fellowships in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry.