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Kenneth D. Smith, PhD

Kenneth D. Smith, PhD

Assistant Professor - Currently accepting PhD Students with an interest in health-based social movements and experience in the field of mental health and substance use recovery

Biography

Kenneth D. Smith, PhD is a health economist and public health practitioner. He received his doctorate from The Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he studied economic demography and health economics. His postgraduate research focused on risk adjustment, healthcare financing, pharmacoeconomic evaluation, provider practice behavior, health professional supply and demand, and the evaluation of large national healthcare demonstration projects for persons with chronic disease.  

Dr. Smith became a public health practitioner after he was appointed Director of Chronic Disease Prevention, Philadelphia Department of Public Health. There, he oversaw the City’s Tobacco Control Program, helped implement the City’s Clean Indoor Air Act and trans fats ban, and drafted a plan to improve access to fresh, affordable produce. As a result of Dr. Smith’s efforts and with the assistance of community stakeholders, Philadelphia passed the nation’s most comprehensive menu labeling ordinance.

Dr. Smith was the Lead Analyst for Chronic Disease and Environmental Health at the National Association of City and County Health Officials, where he built a national-level portfolio of projects around Health Impact Assessment, Health in All Policies, and community health assessment and planning. This work has helped diffuse policy, systems, and environmental change strategies to prevent chronic diseases among local health departments across the nation.

As the Interim Director for the Center to Eliminate Health Disparities at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Dr. Smith led an 1115 Waiver project (the Race Ethnicity and Language [REAL] Data project) to collect and connect REAL data with patient medical records, identify health disparities, develop plans, and implement activities to address those disparities. The project led to new partnerships among clinical academic departments and the community to address disparities in diabetes, low birth weight, and cardiovascular disease. 

More recently, as a senior analyst at the Texas Health Institute, Dr. Smith conducted a cost analysis comparing the estimated costs with the potential cost offsets associated with a bill offering Medicaid preventative dental benefits for adults with disabilities. As a key component of the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities’ advocacy efforts, this research supported the successful passage of the bill in the 87th Texas legislature.

As Assistant Professor for Public Health in the UTK School of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, Dr. Smith studies health-based social movements and uses engaged research support social movements for substance use and mental health recovery, bringing about policy and systems change. His current focus involves research on workforce development, model fidelity, financing, and the effectiveness of peer recovery support services. His teaching responsibilities include Healthcare Organizations: Behavior and Management (PUBH 527) and Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change for Public Health (PUBH 528).

Curriculum Vitae


Publications

  • Smith, KD and Peyson, RL (2024). Eradicating Substance Use Stigma Through Community Power. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice30(5), 649-652. https://journals.lww.com/jphmp/fulltext/2024/09000/eradicating_substance_use_stigma_through_community.10.aspx?context=latestarticles
  • Smith, KD (2024). The wages of peer recovery workers: underpaid, undervalued, and unjust. Critical Public Health34(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2024.2332796
  • Smith, KD (2021). Implementing a Medicaid Dental Benefit for Adults with Disabilities Can Yield Significant Cost Savings. TX: Texas Health Institute. https://www.texashealthinstitute.org/
  • Smith KD, Barge, S., Jones, C., Cooper, K., Oliphant, E., Bailey-Wallace, K. (2020) Local Government Expenditures and Health: Harrison County and Marshall, Texas Report. Austin, TX: Texas Health Institute.
  • Smith, KD, Barge, S., Jones, C. (2020). COVID-19 in Texas: An Analysis of Behavioral Health Needs to Advance Response Efforts. Austin, Texas: Texas Health Institute. https://www.texashealthinstitute.org/
  • Siddiqui, N., Faria, A., Smith, KD., Andrulis, D., Sanghavi, A. (2020) What Drives Health in Southwest Houston: Findings from a Community-Based Survey of the Social Determinants of Health. Austin, TX: Texas Health Institute.
  • Lee, W. C., Serag, H., Ohsfeldt, R. L., Eschbach, K., Khalife, W., Morsy, M., Smith, K.D. ... & Raimer, B. G. (2019). Racial disparities in type of heart failure and hospitalization. Journal of immigrant and minority health21(1), 98-104.
  • Barshes, N. R., Sharath, S., Zamani, N., Smith, K., Serag, H., & Rogers, S. O. (2018). Racial and geographic variation in leg amputations among Texans. Texas public health journal70(3), 22.
  • Barshes NR, Sharath S, Zamani S, Smith KD, Serag H, and Rogers, S. (2018). Racial and Geographic Disparities in Leg Amputations. Texas Public Health Journal, 70(3), 22.
  • Smith, KD (2018) Estimating the Return on Investment for Community Health Choice’s Life Services Programs. Research Report for the Episcopal Health Foundation. Galveston, Texas.
  • Schiavo, R. & Smith, KD (2017). Advancing Health Equity: Population Health and the Role of Multisectoral Collaboration. In Ronald Bailek (Ed.), Solving Population Health Problems Through Collaboration. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
  • Smith, KD and Serag, H (2017). Central American Asylum-Seekers and Family Detention: What’s in the Best Interest of Child Migrants?Center to Eliminate Health Disparities at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.
  • Greeley, C., Guillot-Wright, S., Kovic, C., Raphael, J., Serag, H. & Smith, KD (2017). Policies, Practices and Structures Impacting the Health and Care Access of Migrant Children: Research Report 2016.Galveston, TX: Center to Eliminate Health Disparities.
  • Lee WC, Veeranki SP, Serag H, Eschbach K, Smith KD (2016) Improving the `Collection of Race, Ethnicity, and Language Data to Reduce Healthcare Disparities: A Case Study from an Academic Medical Center. Perspect Health Inf Manag.
  • Smith, KD, Serag, H., Lee, W.-C., Eschbach, K. (2015). A Plan to Address Documented Health Disparities while Enhancing UTMB Capacity for Coordinated Action: The 1st Improvement Plan. Galveston, TX: Center to Eliminate Health Disparities.
  • Gase, L. N., Pennotti, R., & Smith, KD (2013). “Health in All Policies”: taking stock of emerging practices to incorporate health in decision making in the United States. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice19(6), 529-540.
  • Smith, KD, Cox, E. (2010). A Roadmap for Chronic Disease Prevention: Building National Capacity for Population Health. Washington, DC: National Association of County and City Health Officials.
  • Smith, KD (2010). From healthy homes to health equity. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice16(5), S3-S4.
  • Maio, V., Yuen, E. J., Novielli, K., Smith, KD, & Louis, D. Z. (2006). Potentially inappropriate medication prescribing for elderly outpatients in Emilia Romagna, Italy. Drugs & Aging23(11), 915-924.
  • Smith, KD, Goldfarb, N., Meurling, J. (2006). “Likelihood of Drug Modification in Response to Glycemic Control Change in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.” Philadelphia, PA: Department of Health Policy, Thomas Jefferson University.
  • Smith, KD, Yuen, E. J., Louis, D. Z., Rabinowitz, C., Maio, V., Jimbo, M., ... & Taroni, F. (2005). Risk adjustment in a non-market-based system: the case of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. International journal of healthcare technology and management7(1-2), 100-116.
  • Smith, KD, Yuen, E.J. (2003). Interim Report: Developing Risk Adjuster Models, Regione Emilia Romagna, Italy. Philadelphia, PA: Center for Research on Medical Education and Health Care, Thomas Jefferson University.
  • Smith, KD (2001). The Impact of the Second-Generation Social HMO on Health and Functioning Outcomes. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
  • Smith, KD, Wooldridge, J., de Saw, C., & Sinclair, M. (2001). Professional Nurse Traineeship Grants: Who Gets Them and Where Do They Work after Graduation? Final Report.
  • Brown, R., Smith, KD, Retchin, S., Trenholm, C., Chu, D. (2001) The Predictive Accuracy of a Parsimonious Risk Adjuster for Medicare Health Maintenance Organizations. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
  • Smith, KD, Brown, R., Khan, N. (2001) The Predictive Accuracy of Risk Adjusters for Dual Eligibles. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
  • Smith, KD, Perez-Johnson, I., & Wooldridge, J. (2000). Uncertainty and forecasting local health professional shortages. Population Research and Policy Review19(5), 477-503.
Kenneth D. Smith, PhD

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