Women's History Month 2018 saw some ground-breaking appointments. One of the most historical academic promotions was announced by Stanford Neurosurgery on its Facebook page March 6, two days before International Women's Day.

The message read:

"Congratulations to Stanford Neurosurgeon, Dr. Odette Harris, on her recent promotion to Professor of Neurosurgery, making her the first African-American female Professor of Neurosurgery in the country!

Dr. Harris specializes in traumatic brain injury and is also the Associate Chief of Staff of Rehabilitation (TBI, Spinal Cord Injury, Blind Service, PM&R) and of Polytrauma at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System."

According to her Stanford Profile Page, Odette Harris, MD, MPH, is a professor of neurosurgery at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care Systems.Her clinical focus is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Peripheral Nerve, and Neurosurgery.

In an August 2017 interview with Stanford, Dr. Harris said she's hopeful for the next generation of women scientists because of the many more choices and options they have in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers.

I think that my children are somewhat luckier, in the sense that the barriers that they face in many ways are not comparable to the barriers that their mother faced, and that gives me hope. I don’t think it’s a paved path for them, or any girl, quite honestly, but I think that to see us, they know that if we could do it if they choose to do it, there’s a way to do it.

I think they have more choice, and I love that. I love that science for them doesn’t have to necessarily be a doctor or Ph.D., they can do so much more with that thirst.

I recently took my daughters to a book signing of two college sophomores who met in “Girls who Code” Camp. They created an online game together that went viral and then wrote a book about that experience. Their love of science translated in a way that my growing up could never had foreseen.

Yet, you know they’re scientists, they’re both computer science majors. And there’s Debbie Sterling, for example, she founded Goldie Blox. She was an engineering major and she talks about how hard that was, and you know, she took science and translated that into games and toys. I feel like our girls are going to have so many more options and choices, and I think that’s awesome.

Dr. Harris's administrative appointments include director, Defense Veterans Brain Injury Center (2009 - Present), Associate Chief of Staff, Rehabilitation (TBI, Spinal Cord Injury, Blind Service, Physical medicine, and rehabilitation), Palo Alto Veterans Administration Health Care System (PAVAHCS) (2015 - Present) Associate Chief of Staff, Polytrauma, PAVAHCS (2009 - Present), Director, Brain Injury, Department of Neurosurgery (2009 - Present).

Her honors and awards include Research Award, The Western Neurosurgical Society (2001), The William P. Van Wagenen Fellowship Award, American Association of Neurological Surgeons (2003), National Road Safety Council Award, Awarded by Prime Minister and Minister of Health, Jamaica (2004), Woodruff Leadership Academy Fellow, Emory University (2009), and Stanford Leadership Development Program, Stanford University School of Medicine (2010).

She earned her board certification in neurosurgery from the American Board of Neurological Surgery in 2008. Five years earlier, she did her residency at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Harris earned the Van Wagenen Fellowship from the University Hospital of the West Indies in 2004, and another from Louisiana State University - New Orleans in 2007. She graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine in 1996, earned a master's degree in public health epidemiology from UC Berkeley in 2001, and bachelor's degree in biology from Dartmouth College in 1991. her community work includes Neurosurgery Training and Education in Kingston, Jamaica.