Meet Stic Harris, DVM, MPH, Director of the Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) Network
Distinguishing himself as a leader in the world of outbreak response, Dr. Harris brings with him an invaluable mix of clinical and policy experience. Formerly with the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch (AFHSB), the central epidemiologic resource for the U.S. military, he was part of the Alert and Response Operations Team in the Integrated Biosurveillance division, where the work is focused on monitoring infectious diseases. Dr. Harris’ team was responsible for identifying, verifying, and delivering the latest information and assessments of outbreaks affecting the Department of Defense.
Prior to his four years at AFHSB, Dr. Harris was a veterinary medical officer at the Department of Homeland Security. He was based in the Office of Health Affairs, where he was the liaison to One Health, the global initiative to unite human and veterinary medicine. He also worked on strategy for the National Biosurveillance Integration Center, which integrates information about biological threats to human, animal, plant and environmental health, and served as the acting Biodefense Advisor.
From 2009-2010, he was a AAAS/AVMA (American Association for the Advancement of Science/American Veterinary Medical Association) Congressional Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the office of Minnesota Senator Al Franken, working on health care, food safety, infectious disease, agriculture, and biodefense. Additionally, Dr. Harris served as Senator Al Franken’s lead on the Food Safety Modernization Act during the congressional review and committee hearings.
Dr. Harris also spent several years working as an epidemiologist in both the Texas and Georgia state health departments on such varied topics as lead poisoning prevention, prion diseases, arthritis, bioterrorism, maternal and child health, and cancer. Other former positions of note include time as an emergency medical technician, a research associate in emergency medicine, and a professional hockey player.
Dr. Harris has a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia and a Master’s in Public Health in molecular epidemiology and public health genetics from the University of Michigan.