Throughout her career, Nadine Burke Harris has consistently spoken out about systemic inequality, and confronted racism as a public-health threat. Her 2014 TED Talk on childhood trauma and lifelong health outcomes has garnered almost 14 million views. In 2019, she was appointed California's first Surgeon General, where she led a groundbreaking effort to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress.

Burke Harris helped lead CA through the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating skills in synthesizing scientific data and public sentiment; building consensus; and implementing large-scale initiatives. An award-winning physician, she previously founded the Center for Youth Wellness, and opened a clinic in San Francisco's Bayview-Hunters Point to provide top-quality pediatric care to an underserved, economically disadvantaged community. 

In her bid for the Harvard Board of Overseers, Burke Harris vociferously defends diversity and equity, arguing they are "central to academic excellence and well-being at the University". Pushing back against recent political shifts, she insists that “equity is an issue of quality”. As an Overseer, she will push Harvard to sustain an inclusive environment; she wrote in her Questionnaire that DEI  "must go beyond admitting students from a broad range of backgrounds but also include supporting them once they are on campus". Her lifelong dedication to vulnerable populations and dogged pursuit of solutions make her a powerful advocate for racial justice at Harvard.