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Faculty Profiles
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photo Lee H. Harrison, MD

Infectious Diseases

Associate Chief of Epidemiology and Education

Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology

Head, Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Research Unit

Email: lharriso@edc.pitt.edu

Phone: 412-624-1599
Contact
Office: A525 Crabtree Hall, GSPH
130 DeSoto Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
 
Phone: 412-624-1599
Fax: 412-624-7397
E-mail: lharriso@edc.pitt.edu
Administrative Assistant:
Jacqueline Murer
Address: Parran 507
130 DeSoto Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Phone: 412-624-1599
Fax: 412-624-7397
Education and Training
Education
BA, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 1978
MD, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 1982
Training
Internship, University of Virginia Hospital, VA, 1985
Residency, University of Virginia Hospital, VA, 1985
Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Meningitis and Special Pathogens Branch, 1987
Infectious Diseases Fellowship, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 1989
Research Interest
Dr. Harrison is a Professor in the Infectious Disease Division and Head of the Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Research Unit. His research has focused on the epidemiology and molecular epidemiology of important bacterial pathogens, including Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, group B Streptococcus, Neisseria meningitidis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridium difficile. A major focus of his research is methods for enhanced detection of hospital-acquired transmission of bacterial pathogens. Dr. Harrison is also the Director of an NIH Fogarty International Center training grant, on the epidemiology and molecular epidemiology of serious bacterial infections and dengue in Brazil.
Clinical Interest
Dr. Harrison attends on the inpatient general infectious diseases consultation service at UPMC-Presbyterian Hospital. The service is commonly consulted for advice on diagnosis and treatment of infections including skin and soft-tissue infection; bacteremia and sepsis; central nervous system infections, such as bacterial meningitis, viral encephalitis, and brain abscess; osteomyelitis; necrotizing fasciitis; endocarditis and other cardiovascular infections; device-related and prosthetic infections; C. difficile infection; multidrug-resistant infections, and healthcare-associated infections.
Educational Interest
Dr. Harrison teaches a course entitled "Methods in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology" (EPIDEM/IDM 2161) in the Graduate School of Public Health. Topics that are covered include outbreak investigation, genomic/molecular epidemiology, new vaccines and vaccine prevention, study designs in infectious diseases epidemiology, drug-resistant bacteria, public health surveillance, and emerging infectious diseases. He also lectures on these and other topics in variety of other fora at the University of Pittsburgh, nationally, and internationally. Dr. Harrison has mentored numerous infectious diseases fellows, as well as MPH, DrPH, and PhD students.
Publications
For my complete bibliography, Click Here.
Selected Publications:
Retchless AC, Fox LM, Maiden MCJ, Smith V, Harrison LH, Glennie L, Harrison OB, Wang X. Toward a Global Genomic Epidemiology of Meningococcal Disease. J Infectious Diseases. 2019; 220 (Supplement 4): S266-S273.
Mustapha MM, Lemos APS, Griffith MP, Evans DR, Marx R, Coltro ESF, Siebra CA, Ribeiro H, Monteiro A, Pasculle AW, Marsh JW, Van Tyne D, Harrison LH, Sacchi CT. Two cases of a newly-characterized Neisseria species. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020; 26: 366-369.
Marsh JW, Mustapha MM, Griffith MP, Evans DR, Ezeonwuka C, Pasculle AW, Shutt KA, Sundermann A, Ayres AM, Shields RK, Babiker A, Cooper VS, Van Tyne D, Harrison LH. Evolution of outbreak-causing carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258 at a tertiary care hospital over eight years. mBio. 2019; 10(5): e01945-19.
Sundermann AJ, Babiker A, Marsh JW, Shutt KA, Mustapha MM, Pasculle AW, Ezeonwuka C, Saul MI, Pacey MP, Van Tyne D, Ayres AM, Cooper VS, Snyder GM, Harrison LH. Outbreak of Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in Interventional Radiology: Detection Through Whole Genome Sequencing-Based Surveillance. Clin Infect Dis. 2019; ciz666.
Miller JK, Chen J, Marsh JW, Saul MI, Shutt KA, Pacey M, Mustapha MM, Querry AW, Harrison LH. Statistical outbreak detection by joining medical records and pathogen similarity. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiology. 2019; 1-6.
Harrison, LH, Stephens, DS. Good News and Bad News: 4CMenB Vaccine for Group B Neisseria meningitidis (editorial). New England Journal of Medicine. 2020; 382: 376-378.
Cohn AC, MacNeil JR, Harrison LH, Lynfield R, Reingold A, Schaffner W, Zell ER, Plikaytis, Wang X, Messonnier NE. Effectiveness and duration of protection of one dose of a meningococcal conjugate vaccine. Pediatrics. 2017; 139: 2016-2193.
Galdys AL, Marsh JW, Delgado E, Pasculle AW, Pacey M, Ayres AM, Metzger A, Harrison LH, Muto CAM. Bronchoscope-associated clusters of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiology. 2018; 1-7.
Mustapha M, Marsh JW, Krauland MG, Fernandez JO, de Lemos AP, Dunning Hotopp JC, Wang X, Mayer LW, Harrison LH. Genomic investigation reveals highly conserved, mosaic recombination events associated with capsular switching among invasive Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W sequence type (ST)-11 strains. Genome Biol Evol. 2016; 8: 2065-2075.
Sponsored Research/Activities
Title: University of Pittsburgh Training Program in Antimicrobial Resistance
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases
Grant Number: AI138954
Start Year: 2019
End Year: 2024
Title: Enhanced Detection System for Healthcare-Associated Transmission of Infection
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases
Grant Number: R01 AI127472
Start Year: 2016
End Year: 2021
Title: Analyzing Adult Pneumococcal Vaccination Implementation in the Underserved
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases
Grant Number: R01 AI116575
Start Year: 2015
End Year: 2019
Title: Genomic Epidemiology for Hospital Outbreak Detection
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases
Grant Number: R21 AI109459
Start Year: 2014
End Year: 2016
Title: Core ABC Activities + FoodNet Active Surveillance and Audits Statewide (Admin Core)
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding Agency: Johns Hopkins University/Center for Disease Control
Grant Number: U50 CK000203
Start Year: 2012
End Year: 2016
Notable Achievements
Voting Member, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, CDC
Elected member, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
Elected member, American Society for Clinical Investigation
Elected member, American Epidemiological Society
Editorial Board, Journal of Infectious Diseases

Division Websites

Cardiology

Endocrinology and Metabolism

Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

General Internal Medicine

Geriatric Medicine
Hematology/Oncology

Infectious Diseases

Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine

Renal-Electrolyte

Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Contact

Department of Medicine
1218 Scaife Hall
3550 Terrace Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Email:  chairoff@pitt.edu
Phone:  412-648-9636
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