Robert Harrison, MD

Sr.Physician Diplomate

Dr. Robert Harrison joined UCSF in 1984. He founded and directed UCSF Occupational Health Services for more than 15 years, and now is a senior attending physician. He has diagnosed and treated thousands of patients with work- and environmental-induced diseases and injuries. He also directs the worker tracking and investigation program for the California Department of Public Health.

Dr. Harrison received his B.A. from the University of Rochester and his M.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is board certified in both internal medicine and occupational medicine. He has served on the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) Standards Board, and authored numerous publications in the area of occupational medicine. He is a clinical professor of medicine at UCSF.

Education
Residency, 1984 - Occupational Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
MPH, 1983 - Public health, University of California, Berkeley
Residency, 1982 - Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
M.D., 1979 - Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Websites
Publications

  1. Blumberg MJ, Harrison RJ. Recruitment Challenges for Physician Training in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 2025. PMID: 40165522


  2. Murray M, Beckman S, Heinzerling A, Frederick M, Cummings KJ, Gandhi S, Harrison R. Heat-Related Illness in California Firefighters, 2001-2020. American journal of industrial medicine 2024. PMID: 39691957


  3. Fazio JC, Gandhi SA, Harrison RJ. Workers at Risk of Silicosis-Ongoing Overexposure and Lack of Medical Surveillance-Reply. JAMA internal medicine 2023. PMID: 38109093


  4. Flattery J, Woolsey C, Epstein-Corbin M, Blackley DJ, Harrison RJ, Cummings KJ. Notes from the Field: Surveillance of Silicosis Using Electronic Case Reporting - California, December 2022-July 2023. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report 2023. PMID: 37971928


  5. Fazio JC, Gandhi SA, Flattery J, Heinzerling A, Kamangar N, Afif N, Cummings KJ, Harrison RJ. Silicosis Among Immigrant Engineered Stone (Quartz) Countertop Fabrication Workers in California. JAMA internal medicine 2023. PMID: 37486642


  6. Gandhi SA, Heinzerling A, Flattery J, Fazio JC, Alam A, Cummings KJ, Harrison RJ. Active Surveillance of Engineered Stone Workers Facilitates Early Identification of Silicosis: A Discussion of Surveillance of Occupational Lung Diseases. New solutions : a journal of environmental and occupational health policy : NS 2023. PMID: 37649363


  7. Gandhi SA, Welch TJ, Jones KD, Cummings KJ, Styles L, Blanc PD, Harrison RJ. Rare case of occupational pulmonary hemorrhage in a firefighter. Respiratory medicine case reports 2022. PMID: 35993005


  9. Odes R, Chapman S, Ackerman S, Harrison R, Hong O. Differences in Hospitals' Workplace Violence Incident Reporting Practices: A Mixed Methods Study. Policy, politics & nursing practice 2022. PMID: 35317690


  10. Grant M, Harrison R, Nuñez A, Kurtz T, Phelps S, Brokaw J, Shusterman D. Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Among Firefighters/Paramedics in San Francisco, CA. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 2021. PMID: 34739446


  11. Beckman S, Silver E, Weinberg JL, Hurley S, Frederick M, Chan J, Reynolds P, Harrison R. Development of a Data Visualization Tool for Occupational Exposure to Chemicals of Concern for Breast Cancer Among California Working Women, 2010-2014. New solutions : a journal of environmental and occupational health policy : NS 2021. PMID: 34325565


  12. Chen YH, Glymour M, Riley A, Balmes J, Duchowny K, Harrison R, Matthay E, Bibbins-Domingo K. Excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic among Californians 18-65 years of age, by occupational sector and occupation: March through November 2020. PloS one 2021. PMID: 34086762


  13. Hoang A, Fagan K, Cannon DL, Rayasam SDG, Harrison R, Shusterman D, Singla V. Assessment of Methylene Chloride-Related Fatalities in the United States, 1980-2018. JAMA internal medicine 2021. PMID: 33871539


  14. Sparrow AK, Brosseau LM, Harrison RJ, Osterholm MT. Protecting Olympic Participants from Covid-19 - The Urgent Need for a Risk-Management Approach. The New England journal of medicine 2021. PMID: 34033274


  15. Odes R, Chapman S, Harrison R, Ackerman S, Hong O. Frequency of violence towards healthcare workers in the United States' inpatient psychiatric hospitals: A systematic review of literature. International journal of mental health nursing 2020. PMID: 33150644


  16. Durrani T, Clapp R, Harrison R, Shusterman D. Solvent-based paint and varnish removers: a focused toxicologic review of existing and alternative constituents. Journal of applied toxicology : JAT 2020. PMID: 32342556


  18. Lee SJ, Lee JH, Harrison R. Impact of California's safe patient handling legislation on musculoskeletal injury prevention among nurses. American journal of industrial medicine 2018. PMID: 30474130


  19. Wettstein ZS, Hoshiko S, Fahimi J, Harrison RJ, Cascio WE, Rappold AG. Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Emergency Department Visits Associated With Wildfire Smoke Exposure in California in 2015. Journal of the American Heart Association 2018. PMID: 29643111


  20. Wilken JA, Ried C, Rickett P, Arno JN, Mendez Y, Harrison RJ, Wohlfeiler D, Bauer HM, Joyce MP, Switzer WM, Heneine W, Shankar A, Mark KE. Occupational HIV Transmission Among Male Adult Film Performers - Multiple States, 2014. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report 2016. PMID: 26866344


  21. Harrison RJ, Retzer K, Kosnett MJ, Hodgson M, Jordan T, Ridl S, Kiefer M. Sudden Deaths Among Oil and Gas Extraction Workers Resulting from Oxygen Deficiency and Inhalation of Hydrocarbon Gases and Vapors - United States, January 2010-March 2015. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report 2016. PMID: 26766558


  22. Lefkowitz D, Pechter E, Fitzsimmons K, Lumia M, Stephens AC, Davis L, Flattery J, Weinberg J, Harrison RJ, Reilly MJ, Filios MS, White GE, Rosenman KD. Isocyanates and work-related asthma: Findings from California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New Jersey, 1993-2008. American journal of industrial medicine 2015. PMID: 26351141


  23. Lee SJ, Nam B, Harrison R, Hong O. Erratum to "acute symptoms associated with chemical exposures and safe work practices among hospital and campus cleaning workers: a pilot study". American journal of industrial medicine 2015. PMID: 26179115


  24. Lee SJ, Nam B, Harrison R, Hong O. Acute symptoms associated with chemical exposures and safe work practices among hospital and campus cleaning workers: a pilot study. American journal of industrial medicine 2014. PMID: 25223949


  25. White GE, Seaman C, Filios MS, Mazurek JM, Flattery J, Harrison RJ, Reilly MJ, Rosenman KD, Lumia ME, Stephens AC, Pechter E, Fitzsimmons K, Davis LK. Gender differences in work-related asthma: surveillance data from California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New Jersey, 1993-2008. The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma 2014. PMID: 24673105


  26. Macisaac J, Harrison R, Krishnaswami J, McNary J, Suchard J, Boysen-Osborn M, Cierpich H, Styles L, Shusterman D. Fatalities due to dichloromethane in paint strippers: a continuing problem. American journal of industrial medicine 2013. PMID: 23450690


  27. Lee SJ, Harrison R, Rosenberg J, McLendon P, Boston E, Lindley MC. Influenza vaccination among health care personnel in California: 2010-2011 influenza season. American journal of infection control 2013. PMID: 23394860


  28. Wang PC, Harrison RJ, Yu F, Rempel DM, Ritz BR. Follow-up of neck and shoulder pain among sewing machine operators: The Los Angeles garment study. Volume 53 of Issue 4. American journal of industrial medicine 2010. PMID: 20017187


  29. Wang PC, Rempel DM, Hurwitz EL, Harrison RJ, Janowitz I, Ritz BR. Self-reported pain and physical signs for musculoskeletal disorders in the upper body region among Los Angeles garment workers. Volume 34 of Issue 1. Work (Reading, Mass.) 2009. PMID: 19923678


  30. Wang PC, Ritz BR, Janowitz I, Harrison RJ, Yu F, Chan J, Rempel DM. A randomized controlled trial of chair interventions on back and hip pain among sewing machine operators: the los angeles garment study. Volume 50 of Issue 3. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 2008. PMID: 18332775


  31. Rempel DM, Wang PC, Janowitz I, Harrison RJ, Yu F, Ritz BR. A randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of new task chairs on shoulder and neck pain among sewing machine operators: the Los Angeles garment study. Volume 32 of Issue 9. Spine 2007. PMID: 17450065


  32. Bailar JC, Ballal SG, Boback M, Castleman B, Chee HL, Cherniack M, Christiani D, Cicolella A, Fernández de D'Pool J, Egilman D, Frank AL, Garcia MA, Giannasi F, Greenberg M, Harrison RJ, Huff J, Infante P, de Souza EJ, Joshi TK, Kamuzora P, Kazan-Allen L, Kern DG, Kromhout H, Kuswadji S, LaDou J, Lemen RA, Levenstein C, Luethje B, Mancini F, Meel BL, Mekonnen Y, Mendes R, Murie F, Myers J, O'Neill R, Osaro E, Paek D, Richter E, Robertson E, Samuels SW, Soskolne CL, Stuckey R, Teitelbaum DT, Terracini B, Thébaud-Mony A, Vanhoorne M, Wang X, Watterson A, Wedeen R. FIOH-sponsored newsletter misrepresents asbestos hazards in Zimbabwe. International journal of occupational and environmental health 2006. PMID: 16967833


  33. Burgel BJ, Lashuay N, Israel L, Harrison R. Garment workers in California: health outcomes of the Asian Immigrant Women Workers Clinic. AAOHN journal : official journal of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses 2004. PMID: 15587459


  34. Roberts JL, Janson S, Gillen M, Flattery J, Harrison R. Processes of care for individuals with work related asthma: treatment characteristics and impact of asthma on work. AAOHN journal : official journal of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses 2004. PMID: 15357371