At a young age Dr. Harris was interested in both art and science. With this in mind, she initially considered medical illustration as a career. She majored in both Biology and Art at Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame. It was during that time, mostly due to her admiration of her physician father, that she opted to pursue a career in medicine instead. The field of plastic surgery was suggested by one of Dr. Harris’ art professors as a career that would combine both medicine and art.