Roy Harris

Contributing Faculty
College of Nursing
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Roy A. Harris RN, Ph.D (COL, Army Nurse Corps, Ret.) hails from Sarasota, Florida and now resides in Ellicott City, Maryland with his wife, LTC (Ret) Sheila A. Harris, Army Nurse Corps (ANC). COL Harris retired from the ANC on 1 August 2006. He was recalled from retirement to active duty from June 2008 till September 2009 as the Chief, Clinical Nursing, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany. His final Army assignment of a 30-year career (2006) was as Chief, Army Nurse Corps Branch (Human Resources, responsible for all active duty ANC assignments) from 2003 to 2006. Previous to the assumption of the Branch Chief role he was the Regional Chief Nurse, Europe Regional Medical Command and the Deputy Commander, Nursing for Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) from 2000 to 2003.

Previous to his Landstuhl assignment, he was the Deputy Commander, Nursing, Dewitt Army Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, from 1997 to 1999. Previous to these senior roles, he served in a variety of critical care staff and head nurse roles.

He holds an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts from St. John Vianney, Miami, Florida (1970); a BSN from Niagara University, Niagara Falls, New York (1974); a MA in Health Services Management from Webster University, St Louis, Missouri (1989); a MSN from Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California (1992); a MS in Strategic Studies from the Army War College, Carlisle Barracks (2001) and a Ph.D in Nursing from George Mason University, Fairfax Virginia (Jan, 2008).

Dr. Harris is a critical care nurse by practice, with over 18 active years in critical care nursing to include six different critical care Head Nurse positions culminating in his last Head Nurse assignment as the Clinical Head Nurse, Medical-Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Walter Reed Army Medical Center (1996). He has been an instructor for numerous military medical and nursing courses including the Army LPN course and Critical Care Specialty courses at several military hospitals to include Fitzsimons Army Medical Center and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

His military awards are numerous to include the Order of Medical Military Merit and the Legion of Merit (2-Oak Leaf Cluster (OLC). He served as Deputy Commander, Nursing (Chief Nursing Officer) at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center when they were awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation and Superior Unit Service ribbons (1999-2003). Selected as the first Army Nurse Corps officer to attend Training with Industry (TWI) Fellowship in 1996, he assumed a one-year assignment to the Office of Managed Care (Quality and Performance Standards Team) at the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA, now called Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) where he was awarded HCFA’s Administrator Achievement Award. During his HCFA fellowship, he co-authored an article on the future of elderly health care and spoke to national groups on the topic of managed care and quality of health care for the elderly.

Dr. Harris is a member of many professional organizations to include the American Organization of Nurse Executives, and the American College of Health Care Executives, the American Association of Nursing History, Sigma Theta Tau and the Army Nurse Corps Association. Dr. Harris is presently serving in a part time faculty position in the College of Nursing, Graduate School of Nursing, Walden University.

He is an avid Tampa Bay Buccaneer football fan and enjoys reading, golf and travel. He is a past President of the Army Nurse Corps Association (ANCA) and a past President for the Federal Health Care Executives Institute Alumni Association (FHCEIAA).

Courses Taught

NURS 6600 - Capstone Synthesis Practicum

NURS 6201 - Leadership in Nursing & Health Care

Education

PhD, George Mason University

MA, Webster University

MS, Loma Linda University

MS, Loma Linda University

BS, Niagara University

Awards / Honors

Administrator Achievement Award, Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS), 1997

Legion of Merit, U.S. Army, , 2006