“The inspiration to become a doctor came to me as I gazed into a campfire. My hiking companion, an older fellow who had worked in the textile industry, said, ‘You know what they are going to put on my gravestone: he made more and better pantyhose at lower cost per unit.’ He continued, ‘I want to make a difference in the world – I want to be a doctor.’ That moment changed both our lives. We both became doctors. That chance comment redirected me to a life of service and caring. That moment before the campfire opened to me the most fulfilling life I can imagine, the life of the physician.”

After completing high school in Rock Hill, SC, where he graduated Magna cum laude and was Valedictorian of his class, Dr. Smith moved to Houston to attend Rice University. There, he graduated with a degree in physics and was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Academic Honor Society. From Houston, he returned to South Carolina to attend MUSC, where he finished first in his class, was a member of the AOA (Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society) and received the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. While at MUSC, he also met a young psychologist, Jeanie, and soon thereafter they were married.

The Smiths moved to New York where Dr. Smith began an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Strong Memorial Hospital of Rochester. There they were joined by Loren, their daughter. While Dr. Smith completed his residency, Jeanie and Loren returned to South Carolina where Jeanie completed her doctorate at USC. Next, the family moved to Durham, NC, where Dr. Smith completed a fellowship in cardiology at Duke University. While at Duke the family grew again with the addition of a son, Brewster.

Dr. Smith is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiology, and Interventional Cardiology. His outside interests include sculpture, sailing, pottery, and hiking.