Randall E. Harris

Biography

Randall E. Harris, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor in the of Epidemiology, College of Medicine, College of Public Health, and Director, of the Center of Molecular Epidemiology and Environmental Health, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Harris received a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, where he specialized in Genetics and Statistics, followed by a medical degree from University of Nebraska College of Medicine in Omaha. After completing his medical residency in Clinical Pathology and Clinical Preventive Medicine at Duke University Medical Center, he went on to become the Chief of the Division of Epidemiology for the American Health Foundation in New York City. While at the American Health Foundation Dr. Harris worked closely with Dr. Ernst L. Wynder and initiated early idemiologic studies of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) in the prevention of breast cancer and other malignancies.

Research Interest

In 1990, Dr. Harris moved to Columbus, Ohio, to Chair the Department of Preventative Medicine at Ohio State, and in 1995, he became the founding Director of the Ohio State University School of Public Health. Dr. Harris is a renowned expert on the role of COX-2 in chronic inflammation and in promoting tumorigenesis and angiogenesis, and has authored numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters on the use of NSAIDS and selective COX-2 inhibitors in the chemoprevention of various cancer types. In 2009 Harris was elected as a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).