Dr. Geraldine E. Harris, Ph.D.
Microbiologist

Science Coordinator, Division of Field Science, Office of Regulatory Affairs at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). From 1975 - 1977, she became an assistant professor of microbiology at Winston-Salem State University. She went to work for FDA in 1980 where she served as a Consumer Safety Officer for ten years, compiling, generating and evaluating scientific and technical data which formed the basis for the determination of the safe and effective use of food additives. She also served as liaison between FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and food industry scientists, consumer groups and individual consumers explaining and interpreting scientific and consumer issues associated with food additives and GRAS (food ingredient: Generally Regarded As Safe) petitions. While serving CFSAN, Dr. Harris abstracted, summarized and evaluated data from Reproductive/Teratology (RT), chronic, and short term toxicology studies as part of the process for review and reappraisal of safety information on regulated food additives. Not only does Dr. Harris lecture, she has produced several publications and she has research interests in molecular mechanisms of staphyloccocal pathogenesis, post secondary allied health/science program development/ evaluation, health/biomedical aspects of aging, and quality assurance for clinical/non-clinical laboratories.