How to Apply
Faculty Mentors
Translational
- David M. Jablons, M.D.
- Laura J. Esserman, M.D., M.B.A.
- Michael J. Campbell, Ph.D.
- Kimberly Kirkwood, M.D.
- Jeroen Roose, PhD
- Christina Yau, PhD.
- Liang You, Ph.D.
- Julie Saba, MD, PhD
Regulatory Sciences
- Laura Van 'T Veer, PhD
- Kathy Giacomini, PhD
- Deanna Kroetz, PhD
- Barbara Koenig, PhD, RN
- Nola Hylton, PhD
- Brian Shoichet, PhD
- Ida Sim, MD, PhD
Health Services & Implementation Science
- Emily Finlayson, M.D., M.S.
- Elizabeth C. Wick, M.D.
- Julie Ann Sosa, M.D., M.A., FACS
- Louise Walter, MD
- Andrew Auerbach, MD
- Kim Rhoads, M.D., M.P.H
- Alex Smith, MD, MPH
- Maren Scheuner-Purcell, MD, MPH
- Leslie Wilson, PhD
Fellows
Current Fellows
- Nisha Parmeshwar, M.D.
- Alexis K. Colley, M.D., M.S.
- Nathan R. Brand, M.D.
- Kelli Ann Ifuku, M.D.
Past Fellows 2021-2022
- Laura L. Barnes, M.D.
- Nathan R. Brand, M.D.
- Patricia Conroy, M.D.
Past Fellows 2020-2021
- Alexa Glencer, M.D.
- Joseph Lin, M.D.
Curriculum
Trainee Portal
T32 Trainee Experiences
Alex Smith, MD, MPH
- Associate Professor, Medicine
Contact Information
4150 Clement Street, #306
San Francisco, CA 94121
Phone: 415-221-4810 ext. 24684
Fax: 415-750-6641
[email protected]
Twitter @alexsmithmd
Orchid: Orchid 0000-0002-9276-0861
San Francisco, CA 94121
Phone: 415-221-4810 ext. 24684
Fax: 415-750-6641
[email protected]
Twitter @alexsmithmd
Orchid: Orchid 0000-0002-9276-0861
Education
Institution
Degree
Dept or School
End Date
Biography
Alexander Keliimoeanu O'Haleakala Smith was born in Hilo Hawaii. Sadly, his family moved to East Lansing, Michigan when he was 6 months old. He is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan, though in sporting events he roots for both Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.Dr. Smith received his medical school training in the UC Berkeley/UCSF Joint Medical Program. He completed a primary care internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) followed by two fellowships, a one-year clinical fellowship in Palliative Medicine at BWH and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, followed by a two-year General Internal Medicine Fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, including an MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Smith returned to UCSF in July 2008 as faculty in the Division of Geriatrics.
Dr. Smith's research is focused on improving quality of life and patient-physician communication for older adults, particularly those with a limited prognosis.
Dr. Smith has been funded by multiple National Institute on Aging Grants, including 2 R01s, Co-PI of a P01 Research Project, a K24, and a K23. He is a prior recipient of Beeson, SGIM/T Franklin Williams Scholar, Greenwall Faculty Scholar, NIA Diversity Supplement, and National Palliative Care Research Center awards.
Dr. Smith is co-founder of ePrognosis.org, an online compendium of prognostic calculators, and with Dr. Eric Widera, he co-founded GeriPal, a geriatrics and palliative care podcast for every healthcare professional.
Dr. Smith is a Executive Editor at JAGS where he co-leads the Junior Reviewer Program for early career faculty-researchers. Dr. Smith plays a major role in organizing the next generation of geriatrics and palliative care researchers through individual mentoring and participation in the National Palliative Care Post-Doc Research Collaborative. He is Director of UCSF's NIA funded T32 program.
From 2017-2019 Dr. Smith served as President of the UCSF Medical Alumni Association.
Awards & Honors
Award
Confired By
Date
Mentoring Overview
Dr. Smith's research program focuses on improving palliative care for vulnerable and dependent elders. He has interests in bioethics and improving patient physician communication, applying a range of complementary methodologies, including analyses of large datasets, qualitative in-person interviews conceptual ethical analysis. He is a co-founder of ePrognosis.org, an online compendium of prognostic calculators. Among other mentorship roles, he serves as Co-Director of UCSF's NIA-funded T32 training program in aging research and was awarded the 2019 UCSF Academic Senate Distinction in Mentoring Award at the Associate Professor Level.
Trainees can participate in Dr. Smith's research program focused on developing better prognostic models for older adults, and improving communication of prognosis.
Research & Funding
Data provided by UCSF Profiles, powered by CTSI
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9276-0861 
- Meaningful Activities and Alzheimer's Disease and Related DementiasSponsor: NIHSponsor ID: K24AG068312Funding Period:Sep 2020-Apr 2025Principal Investigator
- Research Training in Geriatric MedicineSponsor: NIHSponsor ID: T32AG000212Funding Period:Sep 1991-Apr 2023Principal Investigator
- Prognostic calculators for patients with Alzheimers disease and related dementiasSponsor: NIH/NIASponsor ID: R01AG057751Funding Period:Aug 2018-Apr 2022PI
- Developing prognostic models for life expectancy and geriatric outcomesSponsor: NIHSponsor ID: R01AG047897Funding Period:May 2015-Jan 2020Principal Investigator
- P0045982 Late Life Disability: Epidemiology, Symptoms, Quality of LifeSponsor: NIHSponsor ID: K23AG040772Funding Period:Sep 2012-Nov 2017Principal Investigator
Publications
MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM A TOTAL OF 156
Data provided by UCSF Profiles, powered by CTSI
- Lam K, Cenzer I, Levy CR, Matlock DD, Smith AK, Covinsky KE. The Natural History of Disability and Caregiving Before and After Long-Term Care Entry. JAMA Intern Med. 2023 Nov 06. View in PubMed
- Kennedy CJ, Chiu C, Chapman AC, Gologorskaya O, Farhan H, Han M, Hodgson M, Lazzareschi D, Ashana D, Lee S, Smith AK, Espejo E, Boscardin J, Pirracchio R, Cobert J. Negativity and Positivity in the ICU: Exploratory Development of Automated Sentiment Capture in the Electronic Health Record. Crit Care Explor. 2023 Oct; 5(10):e0960. View in PubMed
- Nguyen NV, Riggan KA, Ennis JS, Tilburt JC, Smith AK, Kramer DB, Sulmasy DP, DeMartino ES. Estimating population impact of state triage policies restricting healthcare access for older adults with chronic conditions. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2023 Sep 11. View in PubMed
- Growdon ME, Smith AK. The Maelstrom of Medications-Optimization of Prescribing During the Course of Dementia. JAMA Intern Med. 2023 10 01; 183(10):1108-1110. View in PubMed
- Newmark RL, Allison TA, Smith AK, Perissinotto CM, Tha SH, Kotwal AA. The Role of Digital Technologies in Facilitating Psychosocial Resilience to Sudden Social Isolation Among Older Adults: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Appl Gerontol. 2023 Aug 03; 7334648231190228. View in PubMed
- View All Publications