Thomas J. Smith

THOMAS J. SMITH, MD, the inaugural Harry J. Duffey Family Professor in Palliative Care, is professor of oncology and palliative medicine and director of palliative medicine at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Smith has a national and international reputation as one of the foremost leaders in the field of palliative care. He is board certified in both oncology and pain/palliative medicine, with research focused on neuropathic pain, care at the end of life, and bending the cost curve in patients with life-limiting conditions. He is a prominent spokesperson for both the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Center to Advance Palliative Care on topics related to symptom palliation and end-of-life care. He is an accomplished teacher and researcher, as well as a breast cancer clinician.

Before joining the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in September 2011, Dr. Smith served as co-director of the Massey Cancer Center Cancer Control and Prevention Program at the Virginia Commonwealth University. While there, he also held the Massey Endowed Professor of Palliative Care Research and Esteemed Professor of Medicine for Oncology.

He received his bachelor’s of science degree summa cum laude from the University of Akron and his medical degree cum laude from Yale University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the Medical College of Virginia. He also was a special fellow in medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute.