Medical education
Health policy
Health care costs

Biography

Dr. Smith retired at the end of 2008 and now holds the position of professor emeritus of family medicine. He retired earlier as associate dean of the medical school, a position he held for a quarter of a century. Dean Smith is internationally renown for his work in medical education. He was the architect of the competency-based curriculum at Brown that has been replicated at many medical schools around the world. More recently, he has developed a virtual practice for an international consortium of medical schools—the International Virtual Medical School (IVIMEDS). Dean Smith has been a long-time activist, helping to create the National Health Service Corps while a medical student, serving as deputy mayor in his hometown of New London, Connecticut, caring for patients at the Rhode Island Free Clinic, and working to bring universal health insurance to Rhode Island. He currently serves on the executive committee and board of directors and as treasurer of the National Physicians Alliance—a new, multispecialty physicians organization that means to bring a bold and different voice to organized medicine. His advocacy on behalf of medical students throughout his professional life earned him the Lifetime Distinguished Service Award from the American Medical Student Association in 2005. He earned his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine in 1972 and his master of public health degree from the University of Rochester in 1977. His wife, Diane, is a realtor in New London; his son, Michael, is director of baseball operation for the Detroit Tigers; and, his daughter, Hilary, is a fellow in pediatric gastroenterology at the Children's Hospital of Northwestern University in Chicago.

Institutions

BU

Research Description

Assessing the effectiveness of various medical education strategies on learning.

Assessing the feasibility of a no-fault system for medical malpractice.

Awards

Lifetime Distinguished Service Award, American Medical Student Association, 2005
Doctor of Osteopathic Medical Education (D.O.Ed.) honoris causa, A.T. Still University, Kirksville, Missouri, 2005

Affiliations

Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
National Physicians Alliance

Funded Research

N/A

Teaching Experience

Health care policy

Courses Taught

• Cost vs. Care: the Dilemma for American Medicine (BC0007)

Selected Publications

• Smith, S.R. Outcome-Based Curriculum. In: Dent J. and Harden R. (eds.) A Practical Guide for Medical Teachers, Elsevier, London, 2005.(2005)
• Smith SR, Dollase R, Boss J. Assessing Students' Performance in a Competency-based Curriculum. Academic Medicine 78:97-107.(2003)
• Smith, S.R., Dollase, R. Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating a Competency-Based Curriculum. Medical Teacher 21:15-22.(1999)