Scott Smith

Scott Smith, Ph.D., was named Associate Dean for Research in 2019 and Chair of the Department of Applied Clinical Research in 2020 for the UT Southwestern School of Health Professions. As Associate Dean, he oversees the school’s basic and clinical research program including project development, establishing collaborative partnerships, grant award planning and submission, and post-award management. In his role as Chair, he directs the Ph.D. program in Applied Clinical Research, which provides rigorous clinical research training for health professionals aspiring to pursue careers as independent clinician investigators. In both of these roles, his focus is on facilitating research growth and recognition for the School of Health Professions. An NIH-funded researcher into the mechanisms underlying the development of autonomic dysfunction in cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and heart failure, Dr. Smith has earned recognition from the American Physiological Society and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology/chemistry from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and his master’s and doctoral degrees in biomedical science from the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Internal Medicine/Cardiology at UT Southwestern in 2002 and joined the faculty of the School of Health Professions shortly after. Dr. Smith received a Regent’s Outstanding Teaching Award from the University of Texas System in 2016. He also holds the title of Distinguished Teaching Professor at UT Southwestern and is a member of the Southwestern Academy of Teachers.