Faculty highlight: Dr. Michael Smith

[Link]Prior to joining The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Dr. Michael L Smith was an assistant professor in cardiology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Currently, he serves as the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine year 1 curriculum director, director of multidisciplinary programs and a professor. His research focuses on applying principles of integrated physiology to significant disease states like sleep apnea, dysrhythmias and heart failure, and how they overlap.

Smith earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Texas Lutheran College; his Master of Science in Physiology from Southern Illinois University; and his PhD in Biology from the University of North Texas.

Get to know Dr. Smith:

Q: How long have you been at HSC?

A: I've been at HSC for 28 years.

Q: What's the best part of your job?

A: The best part of my job is getting to work closely with faculty and students to make a difference for future health care practitioners.

Q: What do you hope students take from their time at HSC?

A: I hope a key takeaway is that caring about the person they are engaging with at any given moment is the most important thing in life.

Q: What is your fondest memory of your time at HSC?

A: My fondest memory is getting to hood 13 PhD students - particularly 2 DO/PhD students that I trained. It's a memory I'll never forget.

Q: What led you to the field of medicine?

A: I took a graduate course in advanced cardiovascular physiology during my master's program. The course was with Dr. Hurley Myers, and he showed me (with great passion) how amazing the body is and how it responds to stress without thinking. I was immediately hooked!

Q: What value do you resonate with most and why?

A: I resonate with all of the HSC values, but I would say the most are a combination of "Better Together" and "Show your Fire" because I have great passion for all that we do at HSC and fostering the greatest success at HSC through a shared vision and shared effort as a team to achieve the vision.

Q: When you're not at HSC, what do you enjoy doing most?

A: When I'm not at HSC, I enjoy staying active (exercise, sports, gardening) and spending fun times with four amazing young granddaughters.

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