Dr. Robin Harris celebrated at retirement event

July 10, 2023

Robin Harris, PhD, MPH, will soon retire as a professor and researcher from the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at MEZCOPH after more than 30 years of dedicated service to public health. Dozens of friends, colleagues, alumni and students gathered at a retirement celebration to express their appreciation for all Robin has done for them and the communities she served around Arizona. The event was hosted by MEZCOPH, the UACC Skin Cancer Institute, and other supporters.

During her time with the college, Dr. Harris was an inspiration and a mentor for both colleagues and students. Her passion for public health, her determination to build a better world, and her forthright insights shaped not only the college, but also public health practice and policy here in Arizona and beyond. Dr. Harris served as the first program director for the Department of Epidemiology, and yet her contribution when far beyond that role.

Through research and practice, she advanced our understanding of many important issues in epidemiology, most significantly skin cancer prevention and community-based epidemiological studies of chronic diseases among many underserved populations, including tribal communities, border communities, and rural communities in Arizona and Mexico.

To continue her legacy, Robin established the Harris Epidemiology Seed Grant Endowment Fund, which will greatly benefit our epidemiology program.