Richard E Harris, PhD
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About
Richard Harris is a Professor in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Internal Medicine and the Director of Pain and Fatigue Neuroimaging at the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center at the University of Michigan. His background is in basic science and clinical research in alternative medicine. He received his B.S. degree in Genetics from Purdue University in 1992 and his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from UC Berkeley in 1997. He is a graduate of the Maryland Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and has received an MS degree in Clinical Research Design and Statistical Analysis at the University of Michigan. Dr. Harris is currently investigating mechanisms of acupuncture and acupressure in the treatment of chronic pain and fatigue conditions. He is a member of the Advisory Council for NIH/NCCIH and a co-President for the Society for Acupuncture Research.
In 2023, Dr. Harris became the Samueli Endowed Chair at the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute and Professor of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care at the University of California, Irvine.
Qualifications
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Postdoctoral ResearcherNational Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
1998 - 2000
Postdoctoral Research
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Postdoctoral ResearcherUniversity of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
1998 - 1998
Postdoctoral Research
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Ph.D. Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of California, Berkeley, CA, United States
1992 - 1997
Research Overview
Pain
Functional Brain Imaging
Acupuncture and Complementary Medicine
Recent Publications
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Pluimer B, Sridhar A, Mawla I, Wu HM, Lulla R, Hennessy S, Sadil P, Iyer R, Ichesco E, Kairys A, Egan M, Kaplan J, Harris RE. Neuroscience Informatics, 2026 Mar 1; 6 (1):Journal ArticleA proof-of-concept study on the use of large language models for assessing research methodology in neuroimaging
DOI:10.1016/j.neuri.2026.100262 -
Zick SM, Chen D, Harris RE, Kruger G, Runyon A, Sen A, Snyder S, Pearce CL. JAMA Network Open, 2026 Feb 5; 9 (2):Journal ArticleSelf-Acupressure for Fatigue in Patients Surviving Ovarian Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial
DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.56357 PMID: 41642626 -
Sun M, Ansari B, Clauw D, Harris RE, Sluka KA, Kaplan CM, Brummet CM, Lindquist MA, Wager TD, A2CPS Consortium . medRxiv, 2026 Feb 4;Journal ArticleFatigue Links Sociodemographic Risk to Pain Intensity and Spread in Two Surgical Cohorts.
DOI:10.64898/2026.02.02.26345387 PMID: PMC12889796 -
Eckner J, Popovich M, Almeida A, Ichesco E, Ichesco I, Schrepf A, Lorincz M, Kaplan C, Shih J, Li Y, Varangis Burns E. Pediatrics, 2024 Dec 16;Journal ArticleA comparison of brain MRI outcomes in youth American football vs. non-contact sport athletes
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Pouyan N, Kaplan C, Larkin T, Ichesco E, Eagan M, Preller K, Dunworth J, Harris R, Mashour G, Harte S. 2026 Jan 12;PreprintAcute effects of nitrous oxide on visual processing: a connectome study in healthy adults.
DOI:10.21203/rs.3.rs-8430361/v1 PMID: 41646355 -
Sridhar A, Mawla I, Ichesco E, Pluimer B, Harte SE, Edwards R, Napadow V, Harris RE. Commun Med (Lond), 2026 Jan 10; 6 (1): 25Journal ArticleBrain sensory network activity underlies reduced nociceptive initiated and nociplastic pain via acupuncture in fibromyalgia.
DOI:10.1038/s43856-025-01280-0 PMID: PMC12808314 -
Harris RE, Moon H, Lee IS, Chae Y. Integrative Medicine Research, 2026 Jan 1;Journal ArticleDefining non‑acupoints for sham control design in acupuncture trials
DOI:10.1016/j.imr.2026.101345 -
Shraim MA, Sterling M, Sluka KA, Arendt-Nielsen L, Backonja M, Baron R, Blechschmidt V, Clauw DJ, Cohen M, Coombes BK, Elsenbruch S, Gilron I, Harris RE, Jones LE, Kapreli E, Kato F, Kosek E, Madden VJ, Nijs J, Reis FJJ, Rice AC, Ringkamp M, Schmid AB, Irani A, Veasley C, Hodges PW. Pain, 2026 Jan 1;Journal ArticleTowards a tool to discriminate between pain mechanistic descriptors: expert ranking of clinical features and allocation of weights using a forced choice paradigm
DOI:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003979 PMID: 42048572
