Dr. R. Reid Harvey (’06, ’09, ’10)

Category: Alumni Promise | Awards

2023 Alumni Promise Award Winner

Dr. R. Reid Harvey (DVM, MPH, Dipl. ACVPM) is a research epidemiologist with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Respiratory Health Division in Morgantown, West Virginia. Harvey graduated from UT with a bachelor’s in Hispanic studies in 2006, Master of Public Health in 2009, and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2010.

Prior to joining NIOSH, Harvey served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases. Harvey holds extensive field experience investigating workplace outbreaks of respiratory disease (ARDS due to chlorine gas exposure at a metal recycling facility; obliterative bronchiolitis at coffee roasting facilities), foodborne diseases outbreaks (botulism; cyclosporiasis), and international public health crises (2014–2015 West African Ebola outbreak; COVID-19 pandemic). Prior to joining the CDC, Harvey served as a Congressional Fellow through the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Harvey is a volunteer firefighter for the Triune-Halleck Volunteer Fire Department and serves as department treasurer. His interest in firefighting began after he led a public health response (with NIOSH) after firefighters in Rhode Island were exposed to chemicals and fell acutely ill. His current research projects include characterizing respiratory hazards among exterior support fire fighters and investigating exposures and silicosis among engineered stone countertop fabrication workers.

He is also a response leader for the CDC’s Global Rapid Response Team (GGRT) and is on call two months out of the year to rapidly respond to global public health concerns, both within the United States and abroad. He was instrumental in the response to COVID-19, serving as lead or deputy lead for a variety of projects. Harvey has taken his veterinary comparative medicine training, paired with public health training, and excelled in the field of public health practice. In addition to his professional success, he finds time to give back to the veterinary profession by speaking to current veterinary and public health students and serving on the exam committee of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. He also gives back to his community as a volunteer firefighter, a board member for a conservation organization, and by providing rabies vaccinations to pets through community clinics. Harvey is a shining example of academic and professional excellence while also embodying the volunteer spirit.