Dr. Lisa Harris

Lisa Harris, MD, PhD, is the George E Wantz Professor of Interdisciplinary Enrichment and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Michigan (UM). She is also a Professor in the Department of Women’s Studies. Because so many issues in reproductive health have to do as much with culture, ethics and politics as with biomedical sciences, after college and medical school at Harvard University she earned a PhD in American Culture at UM, focusing on reproductive ethics and medical history. She continued her work in bioethics as a Greenwall Faculty Scholar. She is now an active clinician, teacher, researcher, leader and advocate.

Her work explores exercise of conscience in healthcare, including conscientious provision of contested care; racial and social class stratification of infertility treatment in the U.S.; abortion stigma; and burnout and resilience among healthcare providers. She recently completed a book manuscript on the history of in vitro fertilization in the US. She’s also turned her attention to the impact of social polarization on reproductive health and healthcare, and on U.S. social fabric itself. As a leader Dr. Harris built a wide range of novel clinical, educational and research programs at University of Michigan. She currently leads a new interdisciplinary research center at UM – the Center for History, Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Ethics in Medicine. As an advocate she’s authored multiple high-impact op eds and testified in a range of legislative hearings and legal cases in support of reproductive health, rights, and justice. She is the recipient of a range of awards for her interdisciplinary work, thought leadership, and advocacy, including the Association of Reproductive Health Professional’s Preserving Core Values in Science Award, the Bernard Lo Award in Bioethics, and she is a three-time recipient of the Society of Family Planning’s Outstanding Researcher Award. In 2025 she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, considered one of the highest honors in the medical field.