Kelsie D. Kelly Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Science (PHS) in the University of Virginia School Of Medicine. As an Associate Dean and Faculty Liaison for OAAA, she focuses on STEM and Pre-health students. Her philosophy is to educate, empower and advocate to improve the quality of lives and experiences of all she interacts with. She is excited to continue this role while also maintaining her teaching efforts in the Masters of Public Health and the Global Public Health undergraduate program.
Her research and community engagement initiatives focus on reducing health disparities among African American communities, populations in West Africa and the Caribbean, and increasing youth awareness of public health issues through education, advocacy, and empowerment. As a public health professional, she has worked locally and globally to improve population health outcomes using mixed-methods research approaches.
Her scholarship examines paternal involvement and healthy birth outcomes, Type 2 diabetes in underserved and minority communities, transnational and immigrant health, and broader health disparities. More recently, her research has centered on sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and young adults in West Africa and the West Indies, with the goal of informing evidence-based policies and programs that promote adolescent health, well-being, and equitable access to healthcare services.
As a junior faculty member, she has mentored and advised students in the Masters of Public Health Program, the Pathways Program, Public Services Pathways, the Minority Health International Research Training program and undergraduate student volunteers assisting in the Community Health Leaders after-school program with 5th -8th graders. This program aimed at teaching the next generation about public health issues and becoming change agents and advocates for their communities through education and interactive activities.
Dr. Kelly Smith celebrates 10 years at UVA in 2026. She prides her success on the continuous support from her various mentors, her HBCU undergraduate experience and her peers in health and medicine across the globe. Her training is in health behavior and health education with an emphasis on community health from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She has maintained an active role in supervising and mentoring students from the time she began her college studies until she completed her time at the University of Illinois. While at U of I, she was the Lead Health Educator at the University’s Health center overseeing all health programs, community collaborations and summer orientation programs for students in the College of Allied Health Sciences. She brings these experiences as well as her qualitative research skills to the Office of African American Affairs.
Dr. Kelly Smith is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with deep southern roots. She enjoys traveling, challenging herself physically and mentally, staying spiritually grounded and is an avid sports fan.