Dr. Kelly Smith appointed as Interim Chief Scientific Officer at MGH

Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) is pleased to announce that Dr. Kelly Smith, PhD, has been appointed as the hospital’s first Interim Chief Scientific Officer – a 12-month role effective March 27, 2023. This role will be held in addition to Dr. Smith’s existing role as the inaugural Michael Garron Chair in Patient Oriented Research (Research Chair) – a shared position with the University of Toronto.

In her new role as the Interim Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Smith will work with the hospital’s internal and external stakeholders to develop a clear vision and plan to create a Research Institute at MGH. This exciting next step will help elevate the research done at the hospital and improve care for the many diverse and high priority communities MGH serves.

“We are very proud and excited to have Dr. Smith in this new role,” says Wolf Klassen, President and CEO, Interim, MGH. “Dr. Smith brings years of extensive research experience and a strong passion for patient and health system partnership to everything that she does. We strongly believe that her work as Interim Chief Scientific Officer will help ensure that research continues to be an important area of focus and that we can continue to provide safe, evidence-based high-quality care.”

“Rigorous research informs practice, improving care not only for our current patients but our future patients as well,” adds Dr. Sheila Laredo, Chief of Staff, MGH. “We are very excited by the prospect of having a Research Institute at MGH and informing the type of research that will be most beneficial for our community at large.”

Dr. Smith’s work in this role will complement much of her ongoing work as MGH’s Research Chair. Since taking on this role in September 2021, Dr. Smith has made many strides to enhance the hospital’s research portfolio. Most recently, she was awarded a $4M grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the United States to establish a Patient Partnered Diagnostic Center of Excellence in collaboration with principal investigators from MedStar Health, Baylor College of Medicine, University of Toronto, MGH and Mothers Against Medical Error.

Dr. Smith’s passion for research and education also extends outside of the hospital. She currently serves as an Associate Professor with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation where she teaches in both the Health Services Research and Quality Improvement and Patient Safety programs.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Smith!