James Harris is professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, where he is founding director of the Developmental Neuropsychiatry Clinic. He is also a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He served on the American Psychiatric Association committee that wrote the new definition of autism spectrum disorder for the DSM-5.
James Harris
Professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
From this contributor
Correcting the record: Leo Kanner and the broad autism phenotype
The specter of the ‘refrigerator mother’ theory continues to haunt the history of autism. New information puts Kanner’s observations of parents into context.
Correcting the record: Leo Kanner and the broad autism phenotype
By
James Harris, Joseph Piven
26 April 2016 | 10 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Polarized cortical organoids mimic the brain’s regional organization
The organoids show region-specific gene-expression changes that match those observed during fetal development.
Polarized cortical organoids mimic the brain’s regional organization
The organoids show region-specific gene-expression changes that match those observed during fetal development.
By
Holly Barker
24 September 2026 | 4 min read
Prefrontal cortex has three transcriptomic acts across human lifespan, new atlas suggests
Various genes show distinct exits and entrances with age in the open-source dataset, the largest of its kind to date.
Prefrontal cortex has three transcriptomic acts across human lifespan, new atlas suggests
Various genes show distinct exits and entrances with age in the open-source dataset, the largest of its kind to date.
By
Siddhant Pusdekar
23 September 2026 | 5 min read
Microglia scoop out garbage from inside neurons
Through a newly identified process called skoupocytosis, neurons recruit the immune cells to remove cellular waste they find hard to deal with themselves.
Microglia scoop out garbage from inside neurons
Through a newly identified process called skoupocytosis, neurons recruit the immune cells to remove cellular waste they find hard to deal with themselves.
By
Siddhant Pusdekar
23 September 2026 | 0 min watch