Photo of Smith, Patrick D.

Patrick D. Smith, DMD, MPH

Assistant Professor

Division of Prevention and Public Health Sciences

Pediatric Dentistry

Contact

Address:

UIC College of Dentistry 801 S. Paulina (MC 621), IL 60612

Email:

psmith26@uic.edu

About

I am a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health with a range of professional experiences as a clinician, educator, and researcher. My main role is to develop predoctoral curricula and partnerships with community-based organizations to advance the College’s service-learning curriculum, with an emphasis on oral health promotion among underserved populations. My research uses community-based participatory methods to improve Black men’s engagement in oral health prevention and promotion. Additionally, I serve as the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging within the Office of Student Affairs and Diversity.

Scholarly interests

  • Black men’s oral health
  • Value-based dental care
  • Community engagement

Selected Publications

  • Smith P, Thullen M, Evans C, Koerber A, Weatherspoon D. Benefits and challenges of partner site engagement with community-based dental education programs: The partner sites’ perspectives. J Dent Educ. 2019 Sep;83(9):1012-1018.
  • Smith P, Mays K. Dental students’ non-clinical learning during community-based experiences: A survey of U.S. dental schools. J Dent Educ. 2019 Nov;83(11):1289-1295.
  • Smith P, Wright W, Hill B. Structural racism and oral health inequities of Black vs. non-Hispanic White adults in the U.S. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2021 Feb;32(1):50-63.
  • Smith P, Raja S, da Fonseca MA. Caregivers’ comfort answering sensitive questions about themselves and their children in a pediatric dental setting. Pediatr Dent. 2021 May 15;43(3):198-204.
  • Evans CA, Smith PD. Effects of racism on oral health in the United States. Community Dent Health. 2021 May 28;38(2):138-141.
  • Smith P, Noorullah K, Iqbal L, Tomar S. Dental students’ comfort discussing nutrition and obesity prevention with parents and caregivers. J Dent Educ.  2021 Jun;85(6):828-834.
  • Desai B, Boyd C, Smith P. Dental care access. J Am Dent Assoc. 2021 June;152(6):421-422.
  • Fleming E, Burgette J, Lee H, Buscemi J, Smith P. Oral health equity cannot be achieved without racial equity. Washington DC: Health Affairs Forefront, April 22, 2022. [Blog post] Available at https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20220420.398180
  • Smith P, Murray M, Hoffman L, Ester T, Kohli R. Addressing racism in Black men’s oral health through community engaged research and workforce recruitment. J Public Health Dent. 2022;82 Suppl 1:83-88.
  • Smith P, Noorullah K, Syed S, Iqbal L, Tomar S. Foreign-trained dentists’ reflections on access to care after participating in a community-based dental education curriculum. Front Oral Health. 2022;3:996624.
  • Ester T, Smith C, Smith P. Illuminating Light in the Darkness: Black/African-American Men in Dental Education and Strategies for Change. J Dent Educ. 2022;86(9):2114-2122.
  • Smith P, Smith C, Ester T. Men of Color in the Health Professions: Proceedings from the 2022 ADEA President’s Symposium. J Dent Educ. 2022;86(9):1259-1262.
  • Smith P, Evans C, Fleming E, Mays K, Rouse L, Sinkford J. Establishing an antiracism framework for dental education through critical assessment of accreditation standards. J Dent Educ. 2022;86(9):1063-1074.
  • Smith P, Murray M, Moore A, Savage J, Burns L. Stress and oral health-related quality of life among a sample of college-educated Black men. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2023:34(1):7-20.
  • Smith P. “The oral health status of black men in the United States: A need for upstream research and multilevel intervention.” In Oral Health in America: Removing the Stain of Disparity. Eds. Henrie Treadwell and Caswell Evans. 81-90. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 2019.
  • Evans C, Smith P, Narváez A, Fosse C, Frantsve-Hawley J. Solutions to oral health inequities. In Primary care in the COVID-19 pandemic: Improving access to high quality primary care, accelerating transitions to alternative forms of care delivery, and addressing health disparities. Harvard Medical School, Center for Primary Care. Eds. Sanjay Basu, Jessica Alpert, and Russel Phillips. 179-199, 2021. Available at https://www.carequest.or14g/system/files/Primary-Care-in-the-COVID-19-Pandemic-Harvard-Report.pdf

Education

  • University of Illinois at Chicago, MPH (Health Policy and Administration)
  • Harvard School of Dental Medicine, DMD
  • Advocate Illinois Masonic Medicine Center, GPR Certificate
  • Morehouse College, B.S. Biology