Sharla A. Smith, Ph. D. , Mph

Professional Background

Dr. Sharla Smith completed her Ph.D. in Health Systems and Services Research with a concentration in Health Economics from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 2013. Sharla is a health services and systems researcher whose primary research is maternal and infant health disparities, women cancer disparities, and community engagement. She is the co-founder of Kansas Sisters and Brothers for Healthy Infants and the founder of the Kansas birth equity network. She has experience manipulating large datasets and performing descriptive, cross-sectional, and longitudinal data analysis using SAS and Stata, and conducting social network analysis. In addition, she has over four years of experience in clinical research. Dr. Smith is passionate about developing a culture of birth equity through community engagement, empowerment, and education.

Dr. Smith has experience teaching public health law, public health policy and law, introduction to public health, developing public health interventions, introduction to health policy and politics, and epidemiology. She advises students and has served as a faculty mentor on Master's-level research projects.

• BS, Biology, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
• MPH, Health Policy and Management , University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock , Arkansas
• PhD, Health Services and Systems Research , University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock , Arkansas
• Other, Public Health System, The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock , Arkansas

• Cradle KC, Member, 2019 - Present
• National Institute for Children's Health Quality, Align National Efforts, State, and Local , Member, 2019 - Present
• American Public Health Association , Community Health Planning and Policy Development (CHPPD) Section, Member, 2017 - Present
• Leadership Wichita, Member, 2017 - Present
• Kansas Sisters and Brothers for Healthy Infants, Co-Founder, 2016 - Present
• Academy Health -Public Health System Group , Chair Elect, 2007 - Present
• Academy Health -Public Health System Group , Member, 2007 - Present