Center for Outcomes and Evidence

Scott R. Smith, M.S.P.H., Ph.D.

Scott R. Smith, RPh, MSPH, PhD, is a Program Director in the Center for Outcomes and Evidence (COE). Dr. Smith is a registered pharmacist with a master's degree in public health from the University of Illinois and a doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences with a cognate in epidemiology from the University of Michigan.

At AHRQ, Smith heads the "Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions about Effectiveness" (DEcIDE) program, which is a national research network devoted to comparative effectiveness and patient-centered outcomes research. A major objective of the network is to advance the science of observational research, particularly to improve the understanding and communication of therapeutic risks and benefits. In addition, Smith is a member of the Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) Steering Committee. CERTs is a national demonstration program co-administered by AHRQ and the FDA whose mission is to conduct research and provide education that advances the optimal use of drugs, biologicals, and medical devices.

Smith's research interests are related to pharmacoepidemiology and he is a national expert in designing studies that measure medication exposure and adherence. In addition, Smith serves as a member of the FDA's Drug Safety Oversight Board and is AHRQ's representative to the United States Pharmacopeia. Formerly he was also the U.S. representative to the World Health Organization (WHO) International Working Group for Drug Statistics Methodology. Smith's other research interests include pharmaceutical, access to health care services, geographic information systems, health care informatics, social-behavioral risk factors, the adverse effects of chronic drug exposure, and longitudinal data analysis. Prior to joining AHRQ, Smith was a tenured Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill. At UNC, Smith taught courses in epidemiology, the pharmaceutical industry, and methods for analyzing large health databases.

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