William S. Harris

Bill Harris PhD, FAHA
Born	William S. Harris
Alma mater	University of Minnesota
Occupation	Human Nutrition Researcher
Known for	Omega-3 Fatty Acid research
Website	Profile on OmegaQuant.com

William S. Harris, (also known as Bill Harris) PhD FAHA FASN is an American professor and researcher focusing on human nutrition. His work has focused on the role of Omega-3 fatty acids as they relate to cardiovascular disease and neuropsychiatric disease.^[1][2][3][4]

Education and academic career

A 1971 graduate of Hanover College where he majored in chemistry,^[5] Harris completed a PhD in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Minnesota in 1978^[6] He was a Professor of Medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he was the Daniel J. Lauer/Missouri Chair in Lipid Metabolism until 2006.^[4][7] He co-directed the Lipid and Diabetes Research Center at the Mid America Heart Institute of Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City.^[4] In 2006, he joined faculty at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, where he directed the Cardiovascular Health Research Center at the Sanford Research Center.^[6]

Industry career

Harris founded OmegaQuant in 2009 to develop the RBC omega-3 index as a research assay.^[6] This assay was later acquired by the Health Diagnostic Laboratory.^[4]

Research

His work focused on the role of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in human disease,^[8] and specifically the development of an RBC omega-3 index.^[1][2][3] In 2009, he chaired an American Heart Association science advisory on Omega-6 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease.^[9] He has authored >300 manuscripts in peer-reviewed literature.^[10]

Honors and awards

Harris is a Fellow of the American Heart Association and a Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition.^[11]

References

1. Tan ZS, Harris WS, Beiser AS, Au R, Himali JJ, Debette S, Pikula A, Decarli C, Wolf PA, Vasan RS, Robins SJ, Seshadri S (February 2012). "Red blood cell ω-3 fatty acid levels and markers of accelerated brain aging". Neurology. 78 (9): 658–64. doi:10.1212/WNL.0b013e318249f6a9. PMC 3286229. PMID 22371413.
2. Shearer GC, Pottala JV, Spertus JA, Harris WS (2009). "Red blood cell fatty acid patterns and acute coronary syndrome". PLOS ONE. 4 (5): e5444. Bibcode:2009PLoSO...4.5444S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005444. PMC 2673680. PMID 19421317.
3. Kris-Etherton PM, Harris WS, Appel LJ (November 2002). "Fish consumption, fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and cardiovascular disease". Circulation. 106 (21): 2747–57. doi:10.1161/01.cir.0000038493.65177.94. PMID 12438303.
4. William S. Harris, PhD Biography hosted at cim.med.miami.edu. Accessed 2021-09-01.
5. "William S. Harris". ORCID. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
6. Passwater, Richard A (21 November 2019). "Updated Suggestions for Omega Balanced Fatty Acids and Exciting New Fish Oil Studies". Whole Foods Magazine. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
7. Harris, William S. "The COMBination of Prescription Omega-3 With Simvastatin (COMBOS) Study: An Expert Interview With William S. Harris, PhD". Medscape. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
8. Harris WS (June 1989). "Fish oils and plasma lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in humans: a critical review". J Lipid Res. 30 (6): 785–807. doi:10.1016/S0022-2275(20)38310-3. PMID 2677200.
9. Harris WS, Mozaffarian D, Rimm E, Kris-Etherton P, Rudel LL, Appel LJ; et al. (2009). "Omega-6 fatty acids and risk for cardiovascular disease: a science advisory from the American Heart Association Nutrition Subcommittee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism; Council on Cardiovascular Nursing; and Council on Epidemiology and Prevention". Circulation. 119 (6): 902–7. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.191627. PMID 19171857. S2CID 15072227.
10. PubMed index of William S. Harris. Accessed 01 Sept 2021.
11. ASN Staff (13 May 2020). "The American Society for Nutrition Foundation Announces Class of 2020 Fellows". American Society for Nutrition. Retrieved 1 September 2021.