About the Dean

J. Ocie Harris, M.D. J. Ocie Harris, M.D., was named dean of the College of Medicine at Florida State University on Jan. 28, 2003. Dr. Harris joined the new medical school in November 2000 as one of its first faculty administrators. He previously served as associate dean for clinical education and was responsible for establishing the College of Medicine's community-based training sites, as well as recruiting faculty to conduct the clinical education program. From 1973 until joining FSU in 2000, Dr. Harris had a distinguished career at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He progressed through the ranks from assistant professor to professor of medicine, and later became associate dean for community-based programs and director of UF's North Florida Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program, a position he held for 10 years. The primary role of the AHEC Program is to develop community-based education for health professions students, especially in rural and medically underserved communities. Dr. Harris served as director of the internal medicine clerkship at UF from 1974 to 1995. A leader in primary care education in Florida, he was recognized by his students with the Hippocratic Award for Teaching Excellence for his contributions to their education. At UF, Dr. Harris served on a wide range of committees and taskforces. He chaired the admissions committee, and was a member of the curriculum committee, the clerkship committee and the academic status committee. His clinical experience includes serving as chief of the pulmonary section of the Gainesville Veterans Administration Medical Center and as an attending physician at Shands Hospital at UF. Dr. Harris earned his M.D. degree from the University of Mississippi at Jackson in 1965 and completed his internship, residency and a fellowship in pulmonary and infectious disease at the University of Florida. For two years beginning in 1969, he served as the chief of the medical chest service at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego, Calif. He began his career in academe as an assistant professor of medicine at Louisiana State University in 1971. Dr. Harris' research interests range from medical education to the effects of cigarette smoke on pulmonary defense mechanisms. He is the author of 70 abstracts and academic publications.