UCSD Profiles

search, discover, network

Dr. Jeffrey Harris is Chief of the Division of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at the University of California, San Diego. A neuro-otologic surgeon who deals with disorders of the ear, hearing and balance, and tumors which affect the skull base, he obtained both his MD and PhD at the University of Pennsylvania and performed his otolaryngology residency training at Harvard. He did advanced fellowship training in Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery at the University of Zurich, and holds two board certifications in both otolaryngology and neurotology/skull base surgery.

Dr. Harris has an active clinical practice and leads a large research team committed to discovering the causes of deafness and other disorders such as acoustic neuromas, Meniere's disease, and autoimmune inner ear disease.

Dr. Harris has been named one of the outstanding Otolaryngologists in Town and Country Magazine, American Health Magazine, San Diego Magazine, and Best Doctors in America by Woodward and White. The UCSD Division of Otolaryngology has been listed as one of the best Otolaryngology programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

Dr. Harris became a faculty member of the UCSD Division of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery in 1979. He was appointed Chief of the division in 1986, and obtained a full Professorship in 1989.

He has served on several scientific review boards including the NIH, the Deafness Research Foundation, the American Otologic Society, the House Ear Institute, and the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery. He co-chaired the Expert Panel on Hearing and Hearing Impairment for the NIH, which identified the priorities for federal funding of hearing research over the next decade. He is a past President of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, the largest international organization devoted to research in Otolaryngology, and a past President of the San Diego Academy of Otolaryngology, and has recently served as President of the American Otological Society. He has also served as Chief of Staff for both the Medical Center and the Thornton Hospital, and on the Board of Governors for the UCSD Medical Group.

Dr. Harris has been a Visiting Professor at many prestigious universities and institutions, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Michigan, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Washington, the Mayo Clinic, Stanford, University of Chicago, Baylor, British Columbia, University of Paris, University of Zurich, Utrecht, Toronto, and the Cleveland Clinic. He has been an invited guest speaker at the Academies of Otolaryngology in Britain, Ireland, Canada, Mexico, Norway, China, Spain, Brazil, Korea, and Thailand. He is on the editorial board of many scientific journals, is Editor in Chief of Audiology and Neurotology, and has published three books and over 200 scientific articles.

Dr. Harris has been recommended repeatedly as one of the top otolaryngologists in the city by San Diego Magazine.

Research Overview
I have had a career long interest in the effects of inflammation and immunity on the sensory system of the inner ear. This has led to the quest for diagnostic tests for the different causes of rapid hearing loss and treatment strategies to reverse hearing losses. As a surgeon, I am also Interested in developing innovative surgical tools in collaboration with bioengineering for microsurgery of the ear.

Research Topics
- Clinical Trials
- Drug Delivery
- Inflammation
- Injury
- Outcomes
- Translational Research

Current Project Titles
Clinical trials in autoimmune deafness, Meniere's disease and sudden hearing loss. Interested in antibody mediated deafness including rheumatic disorders involving the G-I tract and paraneoplastic syndromes. Outcome studies in Gamma Knife and other forms of stereotactic radiosurgery for Acoustic Neuromas.