The State Committee of Public Health has appointed Scott Harris, MD as Alabama's 12th state health officer.

Harris, who has over 19 years in private practice, graduated from Harding University in Arkansas and attended medical school at the UAB School of Medicine. He served his residency and internship at Carraway Methodist Medical Center before returning to UAB to complete a fellowship in infectious diseases. In 2017, he was awarded a master's degree in public health from the UAB School of Public Health.

Harris practiced infectious disease medicine at Decatur General Hospital and Parkway Medical Center. He served on the Medical Executive Committee, medicine department chairman and director of multiple committees including infection control, pharmacy and therapeutics, and the surgical care improvement project. He is past chairman and current member of the Decatur Morgan Hospital Foundation.

In 2005, Harris became medical director at the Decatur-Morgan Community Free Clinic. He has also served on many international medical missions to Central America, South America and Africa.

In 2015, Harris joined the Alabama Department of Public Health as area health officer for seven North Alabama counties. For the past six months, he has served as acting state health officer and currently co-chairs the Alabama Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council.

He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), Infectious Disease Society of America (FIDSA), and a credentialed HIV specialist, American Academy of HIV Medicine.