Jessica Harris

Dr. Jessica Maureen Harris, Ed.D., CHES®, is the Department Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Wellness at SUNY Oswego. She earned her Doctorate in Executive Leadership from St. John Fisher University. She also holds a Master of Science in Health Science from the University of Arkansas and a Bachelor of Science in Community Health Education from the University of Maine at Farmington.

At SUNY Oswego, Dr. Harris teaches a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses and has led significant curricular initiatives, contributing to both the undergraduate and graduate programs. She integrates experiential learning, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), a global study experience with the Netherlands. Dr. Harris is the founder and faculty advisor of the Epsilon Upsilon Chapter of Eta Sigma Gamma (ESG), the National Health Education Honorary Society, which she established at SUNY Oswego in 2017 to provide students with opportunities for professional development, teaching, research, and service. Dr. Harris currently serves as Chair of the Committee on Learning and Teaching (COLT)at SUNY Oswego. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®).

Dr. Harris has earned recognition through a series of distinguished awards and honors. In 2024, she was awarded the Perry A. Zirkel Education Faculty Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Teaching, a national honor recognizing faculty who have established a reputation for both rigorous scholarship and exemplary teaching. In 2023, she was inducted as an Honorary Member of Alpha Sigma Lambda Eta Gamma Chapter, the nation’s oldest and largest honor society for adult students, celebrating her contributions to academic and leadership excellence among non-traditional learners. Dr. Harris received the President’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 2021 and was recognized with the President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advising in 2020.

Dr. Harris’s research focuses on health promotion, sexual health, experiential education, and global learning. She has published various peer-reviewed works, including a Health Promotion and Wellness textbook (Cognella) and articles such as Student Reflections on Enhancing Cultural Awareness in Health Education Specialists (Pedagogy in Health Promotion, 2023). Her work on Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) has been presented at international conferences including ICERI and END. 

Education:

• EdD, Executive Leadership, St. John Fisher University
• MS, Health Science, University of Arkansas
• BS, Health Education, University of Maine at Farmington

Teaching:

• HSC 101 Introduction to Health Promotion and Wellness
• HSC 373 Sexual Wellness
• HSC 448 Health Promotion Program Planning
• HSC 470: HP Program Implementation
• HSC 502: Innovative Wellness Leadership
• HSC 521 Advanced Health
• HSC 573: Advanced Sexual Wellness