President and Chief Executive Officer
Esmaeil Porsa, MD, is president and chief executive officer (CEO) at Harris Health System, one of the largest community-focused, academic and safety-net healthcare systems in Texas. Harris Health is dedicated to improving the health of those most in need living in Harris County, Texas, through the delivery of high-quality care, coordination of services, evidenced-based education and peer-reviewed research.
Prior to joining Harris Health in 2020, Porsa served as the executive vice president and chief strategy and integration officer at Parkland Health in Dallas, Texas, where he worked since 2007 in different capacities including medical director of the Dallas County Jail, associate chief medical officer and senior vice president for Professional and Academic Affairs, and interim chief medical officer.
Porsa completed a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio before earning his medical degree from The University of Texas Health Science Center Medical School at San Antonio. He completed his training in internal medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) where he also served as chief medical resident. Porsa completed a Master of Public Health in epidemiology at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, as well as a fellowship program in primary care at UTHealth’s medical school in 2005. He obtained his Master of Business Administration in Health Care Leadership from The University of Texas at Dallas in 2017.
Porsa has a special interest in improving community health by addressing social determinants of health and healthcare delivery in the correctional setting. He currently serves as vice chair for the Texas Commission on Jail Standards and is a member of the Certified Correctional Health Care Professional Board of Trustees for the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.