University of Washington

Health Systems and Population Health

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

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Jeff Harris photo

Jeff Harris

Professor, Health Systems and Population Health

206-616-8113 | jh7@uw.edu

Office HRC 415
Box 351621
3980 15th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98195

Research Interests

Adult immunization; cancer screening; chronic disease; community-based prevention; health equity; health promotion; implementation science; older adults; physical activity; tobacco; workplace health; COVID-19

Bio

Jeff Harris is currently a professor in the Department of Health Systems and Population Health, and an investigator at the UW Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC). Dr. Harris served as chair of the department from 2015 to 2022, and prior to that, as HPRC director from 2007 to 2015.

Dr. Harris began his public health career as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer (disease detective) with the U.S. Public Health Service and CDC. Before moving to Seattle in 2001, Dr. Harris served for 20 years with CDC, where he was a co-investigator of a 120,000-person cholera vaccine trial in Bangladesh, led development of the 70-country AIDS prevention program at the Agency for International Development, oversaw development of CDC’s Guide to Community Preventive Services, and served as CDC’s policy director under Dr. David Satcher, its liaison to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and as its lead participant in the development for HEDIS quality-of-care measures by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Dr. Harris is an epidemiologist and physician, board-certified in internal medicine and preventive medicine. He also received a Master’s of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Washington.

His research focuses on putting prevention into practice at a scale that increases health equity and makes a difference in population health. Sub-areas of interest include: community-based prevention of chronic diseases, COVID-19, dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices, healthy aging, and workplace health promotion. His research methods include epidemiology, implementation science, and systematic review.

Education

MD Medicine, University of Texas (Southwestern), 1978
MPH Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 1993
MBA University of Washington, 2003
BA Zoology, University of Texas (Austin), 1975

Academic Programs and Affiliations

Recent Publications (PubMed)

Worksite tobacco control – a qualitative study on perspectives from employers and employees at small worksites.
PubMed
Kava CM, Ruiz RA, Harris JR, Hannon PA. Worksite tobacco control – a qualitative study on perspectives from employers and employees at small worksites. BMC Public Health. 2022 May 6;22(1):904. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13346-y.
Pathways to Employee Outcomes in a Workplace Health Promotion Program.
PubMed
Harris JR, Kava CM, Chan KCG, Kohn MJ, Hammerback K, Parrish AT, Helfrich CD, Hannon PA. Pathways to Employee Outcomes in a Workplace Health Promotion Program. Am J Health Promot. 2022 May;36(4):662-672. doi: 10.1177/08901171211066898. Epub 2022 Jan 4.
Development and Feasibility Testing of the Clinical-Community Linkage Self-Assessment Survey for Community Organizations.
PubMed
Fishleder S, Harris JR, Petrescu-Prahova M, Kohn M, Helfrich CD. Development and Feasibility Testing of the Clinical-Community Linkage Self-Assessment Survey for Community Organizations. Front Public Health. 2022 May 20;10:797468. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.
Clinical-community linkages as a strategy for increasing evidence-based program reach: Results of the PT-REFER randomized controlled trial with older adults and YMCA associations.
PubMed
Petrescu-Prahova M, Harris JR, Leroux B, Kohn M, Kava CM, Zeliadt SB, Steinman L, Fishleder S, Basia Belza, Gakhar M, Hannon PA. Clinical-community linkages as a strategy for increasing evidence-based program reach: Results of the PT-REFER randomized cont
By the Seat of Our Pants: the Experience of Small Businesses in the COVID-19 Pandemic, Washington State, March-October 2020.
PubMed
Hannon PA, Hammerback K, Kava CM, Bravo-Acevedo P, Strait M, Harris JR. By the Seat of Our Pants: the Experience of Small Businesses in the COVID-19 Pandemic, Washington State, March-October 2020. Prev Chronic Dis. 2022 Mar 24;19:E14. doi: 10.5888/pcd19.2
Partnerships to expand worksite wellness programs – A qualitative analysis of state and local health department perspectives.
PubMed
Kava CM, Strait M, Brown MC, Hammerback K, Harris JR, Alongi J, Hannon PA. Partnerships to expand worksite wellness programs – A qualitative analysis of state and local health department perspectives. Inquiry. 2022 Jan-Dec;59:469580221092822. doi: 10.1177
Local Health Departments’ Capacity for Workplace Health Promotion Programs to Prevent Chronic Disease: Comparison of Rural, Micropolitan, and Urban Contexts.
PubMed
Brown MC, Kava C, Bekemeier B, Ornelas IJ, Harris JR, Chan KCG, Robertson M, Hannon PA. Local Health Departments’ Capacity for Workplace Health Promotion Programs to Prevent Chronic Disease: Comparison of Rural, Micropolitan, and Urban Contexts. J Public
Development and Pilot Test of an Online Training to Engage Managers to Support Workplace Wellness.
PubMed
Hammerback K, Kava CM, Passey DG, Hahn J, Huff A, Kohn MJ, Harris JR, Hannon PA. Development and Pilot Test of an Online Training to Engage Managers to Support Workplace Wellness. J Occup Environ Med. 2021 Sep 1;63(9):794-799. doi: 10.1097/JOM.00000000000
Local Health Jurisdiction Staff Deliver Health Promotion to Small Worksites, Washington.
PubMed
Harris JR, Hammerback K, Brown M, Ryan DE, Coe NB, Pike KJ, Santiago PM, Hannon PA. Local Health Jurisdiction Staff Deliver Health Promotion to Small Worksites, Washington. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2021 Mar-Apr 01;27(2):117-124. doi: 10.1097/PHH.00000
Using a Social Capital Framework to Explore a Broker’s Role in Small Employer Wellness Program Uptake and Implementation.
PubMed
Thornton M, Hammerback K, Abraham JM, Brosseau L, Harris JR, Linnan LA. Using a Social Capital Framework to Explore a Broker’s Role in Small Employer Wellness Program Uptake and Implementation. Am J Health Promot. 2021 Feb;35(2):214-225. doi: 10.1177/0890

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