Dr. Jacqueline Ann Harris MD

With hearts full of love and beautiful memories, we celebrate the life of Dr. Jacqueline Ann Harris, MD.
Born on April 20, 1955 in Hartford, Connecticut, Jacqueline was the second child and eldest daughter born to Anita M. Harris and Roland S. Harris, Jr. She, along with her Mother, Father and older brother, Roland S. Harris III, spent her early years living on Plainfield Street. She later became a big sister to her beloved siblings, Reverend Gail Harris Williams and Nancy Harris. The Harris family was one of the first Black families to own a home in the highly coveted Blue Hills district in Hartford when they relocated to Holcomb Street.
The daughter of a Principal and a teacher, Jacqueline was a lifelong learner. She was one of the first entering classes to include female students at Loomis Chaffee ('73) in Windsor, CT, breaking gender and racial barriers along the way. During those high school years, she volunteered as a "candy striper" at Mt. Sinai Hospital. She ran the gift shop on Sundays and fell in love with medicine.
She went on to study at Bates College ('77) in Lewiston, Maine for her undergraduate degree in Biology, where she also competed on the volleyball team. After graduation, she relocated back to Connecticut to attend the newly built UConn Medical School ('81). She continued her training at hospitals across New York City, Atlanta and Connecticut.
While she originally intended to go into Emergency Medicine, a rotation in Psychiatry revealed a fascinating connection between physical and mental health. She fell in love and went on to have a career spanning more than 40 years in psychiatry.
She spent most of her career working for the State of Connecticut, including as the Assistant Clinical Superintendent at the state-run psychiatric hospital, Fairfield Hills, as Medical Director for Connecticut Valley Hospital and as a Forensic Psychiatrist for court-ordered evaluations. During this tenure, she received her Masters in Public Administration from the University of Hartford ('90).
After many years supporting adults, she felt the need to shift her focus to support minors in their mental health struggles. She retrained in a Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at New York Medical College ('07) and went on to be the Regional Medical Director for the Department of Children & Families here in Connecticut as well as the Director of Student Wellness Services at Central Connecticut State University. She received many awards in recognition of her service, research and impact on topics spanning restraint practices in psychiatric hospitals, stopping the sex trafficking of minors and the impact of racism in mental health services.
She was an inspiration to many and impacted thousands in her clinical and administrative work alike. She spent her career fighting for humanity of those facing mental health struggles, often facing her own battles as a Black, female physician in the process. She was beloved by colleagues for consistently questioning processes to create improvements with the best interest of the patient at the forefront. Her promise to herself was to achieve one new degree per decade – and she did it.
Beyond her career, she had a deep love of family and purpose. She was known as being a fervent supporter of her daughter, grandson, siblings, nieces, nephews and cousins to always show up for them. She found deep joy in caring for her grandson, Quincy, to build a bond that will last a lifetime.
She was an avid traveler, having visited five continents and all 50 states across the U.S. She climbed the Great Wall of China, experienced a safari in Kenya, hiked a glacier in Iceland and visited turtles in the Galapagos Islands. She never missed an opportunity to live life to the fullest, including her most recent accomplishment of skydiving – a 70th birthday present to herself earlier this year. She "beyond loved it."
Her greatest joy was, without a doubt, her daughter, Rachel. Their deep bond was evident from the beginning and they experienced many adventures together. Jacqueline was a steady rock for Rachel, always present and guiding to teach her the ways of the world. Jacqueline was Rachel's greatest supporter in all that she did and will live on in her forever.
As a lifelong learner, she set many goals for herself and always kept her word. She began throwing the discus at age 55 – following in her daughter, father and brother's footsteps - and she became the National Champion for her age group at age 56. After retiring from competition, she received certification as a nationally ranked Track & Field official to continue her passion.
Outside of sports, she could often be found flying a kite on a windy day, with her nose in a thrilling novel, watching Columbo or investigating a new gadget.
She was an active member of many organizations including the Black Psychiatrists of America, the American Medical Association and the Connecticut Psychiatric Society. She consistently showed up for her community as a American Red Cross volunteer, working at local addiction clinics and volunteering her mental health services in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012. She managed it all and continued to show up as a phenomenal Mother, Grandma, Sister and Aunt in the process.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Anita M. Harris and Roland S. Harris, Jr. and leaves behind a loving legacy in her daughter, Rachel (David), grandson, Quincy; siblings Roland S. Harris III (Mindy), Reverend Gail Harris Williams (Wendell) and Nancy Harris; her nieces and nephews Regina Lester-Harriat (Paul), Roland S. Harris IV (Mirna) Tiffany Harris, and Raymond Jones, Matthew Henderson and Myles Olufemi; and a host of beloved cousins and grandnieces & nephews – all of whom will miss her dearly.
Jacqueline made the most of her 70 years and will continue to live on through her impact and the memories that were made with loved ones along the way. She will be profoundly missed by all of us.
Her family will will friends on Saturday, December 6, 2025 from 11:00 am-12:00 pm, with The Celebration of Life Service at 12:00 pm at Union Baptist Church, 1921 Main Street, Hartford, Connecticut
In honor of Dr. Jacquelin A. Harris, please feel free to donate to one of her favorite Charites:
Loomis Chaffee School
Union Baptist Church
Hartford Foundation for Public Giving - Roland S. Harris, Jr. Scholarship