Mary Styles Harris

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Mary Styles Harris, Ph.D. (born June 26, 1949), is an American biologist and geneticist.

In 1971, Harris earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a Ph.D. in genetics from Cornell University.

Harris moved from a postdoctoral to president and genetics consultant for her own company, Harris & Associates, Ltd in Atlanta, Georgia.

Early life

Harris was born in Nashville, Tennessee, to George and Margaret Styles, while her father was obtaining his medical degree from Meharry Medical College. Margaret Harris, the Harris mother, obtained a degree in business administration at Tennessee State University.

The family moved to Miami, Florida, where her parents grew up their father's medical practice soon after Harris was born. Harris' father died tragically in 1958, when Harris was nine years old.

Education

Harris was one of the first African Americans to enroll in Miami Jackson High School, graduating twelfth in her class of 350 in 1967.

She was one of the first women to enroll at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, spending the majority of her time with pre-med students. She left a position at the University of Miami Medical School in order to pursue a research career.

Harris descended on Lincoln University in 1971 and enrolled at Cornell University to study molecular genetics, which was funded by a Ford Foundation Doctoral Fellowship. Harris earned her doctorate in 1975 and spent time in Rutgers University, investigating tumor virology.

Personal life

Sidney Harris, a Morehouse alumna, married Harris shortly after she earned her doctorate. Both students were accepted into Cornell University and relocated to Ithaca, New York, where they were working in the university's genetics research center. Mary and Sidney Harris have one daughter.

Source

Career

Harris received a post-doctoral fellowship from the National Cancer Institute after graduating from Cornell. She enrolled at the New Jersey University of Medicine and Dentistry, where she researched viruses' genetic structure.

Harris was named executive director of the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia in 1977. She was in charge of raising funds for sickle cell research - a condition that mostly affects people of African descent - and education the public about the disease. In 1979, she received a National Science Foundation Science Residency Award for her services. Harris received the Outstanding Working Woman Award at an award ceremony hosted by President Carter at the White House in 1980, contributing to a series of documentaries on science and medicine.

Harris later became the Director of Genetic Services for the Georgia Department of Human Services, with the aim of influencing public health policy in the state and around the country. She served as director for three years after being employed as a project-coordinator of newborn genetic testing, as well as an Assistant Professor at Morehouse College in 1978 and 1980-1981.

Harris founded BioTechnical Communications, which produces audiovisual educational information on health topics in 1987. Harris has produced television and radio shows, as well as hosting a call-in radio show Journey To Wellness: African American Health Radio, which focuses on breast cancer in African American Women.

Source

Awards

• 1979-80: Governor’s Advisory Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse
• 1979-80: Women's Forum of Georgia
• 1979-80: Georgia Human Genetics Task Force
• 1979-80: Congressional Black Caucus Health Brain Trust; Georgia Board of Regents, University of Georgia
• 1979-80: board member, CDC Foundation
• 1979-80: Scientist in Residence for WGTV Channel 8
• 1980: Glamour Magazine's Outstanding Working Woman Award
• 1979: National Science Foundation Science Residency Award
• 1977: Public health Association, American Society for Human Genetics
• 1971: Ford Foundation Doctoral Fellowship