Centennial Spotlight: Orlando Harris advances health research, policy to change lives

This article appears in the 100 Years Commemorative Issue of Rochester Nursing magazine. 

When his state legislature passed a bill to improve access to PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, by authorizing pharmacists to dispense a 60-day supply of the HIV-preventing medication without a prescription from a provider, Orlando Harris ’10N (MS) ’14N (PhD), MPH, knew that the work wasn’t done yet.

Research on pharmacies across the state from Harris and fellow scientists at the California Center for HIV Syndemic Policy Research — a community-academic collaborative that he co-directs — found that PrEP uptake was still low, and that pharmacies needed additional support, including reimbursement for counseling and testing. They worked with legislators to make updates to the policy, which included an increase in the supply from 60 to 90 days.

Their next step could have been to publish the results of their study in an academic journal. Instead, Harris and his colleagues sent a pitch to their local newspaper.

“For a lot of the work we do, we go to newspapers first because we want to make sure the community and the folks who are making the laws have access to that information,” Harris said.

That’s one of many examples of Harris’ person-centered approach throughout his prolific career as a public health researcher and nurse practitioner. When he chose this career pathway as an undergraduate student, he considered it a matter of morals.

“I knew I wanted to be in a helping profession, and that I was committed to social justice and advancing health equity from a young age,” recalled Harris. “Nursing was where my morals intersected.”

Already a double major in human development and Africana Studies at Binghamton University by the time he’d found his calling to become a nurse, Harris added a major in nursing and accomplished the rare feat of graduating with three bachelor’s degrees. The challenge paid off for Harris, who is currently an associate professor of nursing at the University of California, San Francisco, and a recent recipient of the University of Rochester School of Nursing’s Humanitarian Award.

“What has made me a great clinician, researcher, and educator is that I had experience and training in all three of those areas,” Harris said.

Moved by a guest presentation from former faculty member Sheldon Fields, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, AACRN, FNAP, FAANP, FADLN, FAAN, at a Binghamton alumni event, Harris later came to Rochester to become a family nurse practitioner (FNP) and continued through the PhD in Nursing & Health Science program. He remembers feeling inspired by Fields’ career journey to becoming an FNP and tenure-track faculty member as a Black man.

Rochester continues to shape Harris’ professional life. He recalls being mentored by Professor Emerita Margaret Kearney, PhD, RN, FAAN, a national expert in qualitative research. Having recently taken on a role as PhD program director at UCSF Nursing, Harris looks back on his time working with Kearney for guidance.

“I draw a lot of my inspiration from Maggie. I remember how supportive she was toward students doing qualitative research. She even created a qualitative mentoring group, and I’m doing that at UCSF now because I learned it from Maggie,” he said.

His time as a PhD student, during which he also worked as an NP for the Monroe County Health Department, set him up for success as a global public health researcher. Born in Jamaica and raised in New York, Harris returned to the island nation as the first School of Nursing PhD student to receive a U.S. Fulbright Award in support of his dissertation research on HIV prevention needs among Jamaican men.

A decade later, he continues to work with this population and other groups impacted by HIV — most recently, his research has focused on designing and implementing an intervention focused on improving mental health among Jamaican men living with HIV, recognizing that mental health is among the key factors that determine whether an individual will seek care.

Q: What impacts do you hope your work will make?

“My contribution to nursing, nursing science, and mankind isn’t about how many papers I have published or how many grants I’ve attained,” Harris shared. “I measure my success by how many lives would have been changed or how many policies would have been changed for the betterment of communities from my work, or how many learners I have mentored.”

Q: Who else has inspired or impacted you during your time here?

Worried about what to do next when his PhD advisor had left the University for a new opportunity, Harris credits Jane Tuttle, PhD, APRN, BC, FNP, CPNP, for helping him reignite his love for the School and confidence in his career path.

“Jane’s calmness, demeanor, and patience were everything that I could have asked for, and more,” he said.
Harris also remembers the late Kathy Rideout, EdD, PPCNP-BC, FNAP, as one of his biggest cheerleaders, and still keeps her cellphone number in his contacts as “Mom.”

“When I defended my PhD qualifying exam and I walked out the door, she was standing right outside waiting for me, just to find out how I did. That speaks to the School’s personal touch from leadership, and what it could mean for learners who are coming from different types of backgrounds.”

Q: What advice would you share with other nurses?

1. “If you’re a student looking for ways to succeed, find your Kathy Rideout or your Jane Tuttle — build your support circle. Once you have that supportive circle, those people can advocate for you and will be there to support you. Each time I thought of giving up, or thought that I needed to hang my hat up and do something else, I had my support circle.
2. Look for a few different mentors. You might need an academic mentor, a research mentor, a life mentor. Build a team around you that reflects your values and vision of success, and make it well-rounded and interdisciplinary.
3. There are going to be moments where it feels like darkness takes over. Don’t give into despair. Fall back and reach out to No. 1 and No. 2.”

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