- Company
- eMed
- Role
- Co-Founder & CEO
- Est. Net Worth
- $2 Million (Est.)
- Stage
- Emerging
- Industry
- Healthcare
Patrice Harris
Co-Founder & CEO at eMed
About
Patrice Harris served as the 174th president of the American Medical Association, becoming the first African American woman to hold the position. She then co-founded eMed, a digital health company providing FDA-authorized at-home diagnostic testing with real-time telehealth guidance. A board-certified psychiatrist, Harris has been a leading voice on health equity, the opioid crisis, and expanding access to healthcare in underserved communities throughout her career in both public health leadership and health-tech entrepreneurship.
Current Company
eMed — Co-Founder & CEO
Breaking Barriers in American Medicine
Patrice Harris became the 174th president of the American Medical Association in 2019, making history as the first African American woman to lead the organization in its 172-year history. A board-certified psychiatrist from West Virginia, Harris spent decades in public health — serving as Fulton County's health officer during the opioid crisis and leading mental health policy initiatives in Georgia before ascending to the AMA's highest office.
As AMA president during the onset of COVID-19, Harris became a critical public voice on pandemic preparedness, health disparities, and the importance of evidence-based medicine. She used the platform to spotlight how the pandemic disproportionately impacted Black, Latino, and low-income communities — inequities that predated COVID but were dramatically exposed by the virus.
From Policy to Health-Tech Entrepreneurship
After her AMA presidency, Harris co-founded eMed, a digital health company that provides FDA-authorized at-home diagnostic tests with real-time telehealth support. The platform guides patients through testing and connects them immediately with certified healthcare providers for results interpretation and treatment recommendations — bridging the gap between at-home convenience and clinical-grade reliability.
Harris's career arc — from rural West Virginia to the AMA presidency to health-tech startup founder — represents an emerging pattern of physician-leaders moving from policy advocacy to building companies that directly address the access and equity gaps they witnessed in clinical practice. Her work at eMed reflects a belief that technology can democratize diagnostics, particularly for communities that have historically faced barriers to timely, affordable testing.