Wally R. Smith, MD

Board Member

Education

Undergraduate Education

  • BA, Harvard University 1977

Graduate Education

  • MD, University of Alabama 1981

Post Graduate Education

  • Training
    • October 1996 Improving Health Care Quality. Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Boston, MA
    • September 1996 Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Health Care Quality, Washington, DC
    • September 1996 6th Regenstrief Conference on Health Care Research, Indianapolis, Indiana
    • October 1993 Precourse: Logistic Regression, Meta-Analysis
    • October 1991 Markov Models and the Alternatives. Society for Medical Decision Making. Rochester, NY. September 1992 Management Training Program for Research Investigators. Kaiser Center for Health Research. Otter Crest, OR
    • October 1990 Meta-Analysis. Society for Medical Decision Making, Boston, MA
    • October 1989 Current Developments in Decision Psychology. Society for Medical Decision Making, Minneapolis, MN
    • October 1988 Precourse: Evaluating Health, Society for Medical Decision Making, Richmond, VA
    • October 1988 Precourse: Development of Accurate Multivariable Logistic Models. Society for Medical Decision Making, Richmond, VA
    • October 1987 Precourse: Tricks and Tools for Clinical Decision Analysis. Society for Medical Decision Making, Philadelphia, PA
    • June 1987 Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health. Decision Making in Contemporary Clinical Medicine (Decision Analysis)
    University of Tennessee, Memphis, College of Medicine
    • 1986 – 1991 Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine
    • 1988 – 1991 Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology and BiostatisticsVirginia Commonwealth University Medical Center
    • 2006 – Professor, Department of Medicine
    • 2005 – Scientific Director, VCU Center on Health Disparities
    • 1997 – 2005 Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
    • 1997 – Chair, Division of Quality Health Care
    • 1997 – Director, Masters Degree Program, Clinical Research and Biostatistics, Department of Biostatistics
    • 1997 – Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics
    • 1996 – 1997 Interim Chair, Division of Quality Health Care
    • 1991 – 1997 Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of General Medicine
    • 1996 – Director, General Medicine Fellowship
    • 1995 – 1996 Vice-Chairman for Research, Division of General Medicine
    • 1994 – 1996 Assistant Professor, Dept. of Health Administration
    • 1994 – Research Associate, David G. Williamson, Jr. Institute for Health Studies

  • 1981- 1982 Internship, Internal Medicine, University of Alabama Hospitals
  • 1982-1984 Residency, Internal Medicine, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Memphis, TN

Current Position

Professor
Scientific Director, VCU Center on Health Disparities
Director, VCU Adult Sickle Cell Program
Department of Internal Medicine
Division of General Internal Medicine
West Hospital W10W-403
Box 980306
Richmond, VA 23298

Certifications

American Board of Internal Medicine, 1984 1984

Affiliate Departments

  • Administration
  • Biostatistics
  • Epidemiology and Community Health

Research Accomplishments and Highlights

  • Co-authored first manuscript examining medical care opinions of sickle cell patients (1989).
  • Authored, validity tested computerized medical education program on medical decision making (1989, 1993).
  • First described prevalence of hearing loss in sickle cell disease (1991).
  • Authored, feasibility tested one of the first primary care electronic health records (1992).
  • First examined “nursing home dumping” as a cause of poor hospital mortality reports (1993).
  • Participated/co-authored manuscripts in first multicenter trial showing efficacy of hydroxyurea for adults with sickle cell disease (1995, 1997, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011).
  • First evaluated quality of Virginia Medicaid Managed Care program (1996, 1999, 2000, 2002).
  • First described and correlated physicians’ judgments and decisions regarding acute outcomes of congestive heart failure (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002).
  • First described frequency of daily pain and correlates of utilization for painful crises in adults with sickle cell disease (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011).
  • Participated/co-authored manuscript on first clinical trial of senicapoc for sickle cell disease (2011).

Clinical Specialties

Care for adults with sickle cell disease; hydroxyurea and remittive therapies for sickle cell disease; pain management in sickle cell disease

Keywords & Interest Areas

  • Sickle Cell Disease
  • Clinical Trials
  • Internal Medicine
  • Preventive Medicine
  • Primary Care