Professor Mike Smith Recognized for Expertise in Palliative Medicine.

Clinical associate professor Mike Smith, PharmD, has been named a fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He is only the sixth individual with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree to have achieved this distinction. 

This distinction is given to academy members whose professional activity is devoted to the practice of hospice and palliative medicine. Being named a fellow is one of the highest honors the Academy can bestow. 

To be selected, nominees must exhibit evidence of significant expertise, commitment to scholarship, and practice in the field of Hospice and Palliative Care, as defined within the application. Smith is one of 79 members to be named as a fellow in the 2023 class.

Smith is the current and founding Residency Program Director for the PGY2 Pain Management and Palliative Care Pharmacy Residency at the University of Michigan Health. In addition to his faculty role at the College of Pharmacy, he is a clinical pharmacist at Michigan Medicine and a research health scientist in the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center of the LTC Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center in Ann Arbor, MI. 

His research interests include the safe and effective use of analgesics in vulnerable patients, most notably older adults and those with cancer, and the expansion of clinical pharmacy services to support vulnerable patient populations. “To be one of six PharmDs with this honor is beyond rewarding, and I am thrilled to be among the pharmacy professionals to advance the education, research, and practice of palliative care,” Smith says.

He will be recognized with the 2023 class of fellows at the AAHPM Annual Meeting March 20-23. We congratulate him on this notable achievement.