2026 Recent Alumna Award Winner
Dr. Susan E. Smith is an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy. A board-certified critical care pharmacist and Fellow of both the American College of Critical Care Medicine and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, Dr. Smith integrates her expertise in critical care pharmacotherapy, interprofessional education, and clinical research to advance the science and practice of pharmacy.
Dr. Smith earned her Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Molecular and Cellular Biology from Vanderbilt University in 2010 and her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy in 2015. She completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency and a PGY-2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. This training solidified her commitment to evidence-based critical care and laid the foundation for her academic career.
Joining the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy in 2017 as a Clinical Assistant Professor, she rose to Clinical Associate Professor in 2021 and transitioned to a tenure-track appointment in 2024 to support her growing interests in research and academic leadership. Her teaching contributions span the College’s B.S., Pharm.D., and Ph.D. programs, covering foundational pharmacotherapy, advanced critical care, research methods, and interprofessional simulation. She has developed several innovative courses, including Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support for pre-health and PharmD students; a multi-semester research elective utilizing layered learning; and a personal finance course for health professionals. Her commitment to interdisciplinary education is further demonstrated through adjunct and affiliate appointments with the AU/UGA Medical Partnership, the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.
Dr. Smith’s research focuses on improving medication management in the intensive care unit, with particular emphasis on sepsis/hemodynamic optimization and team-based strategies to optimizing pharmacist workload. She has co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts in journals such as Pharmacotherapy and Critical Care Medicine and her research has earned national recognition from the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). She additionally serves on the Editorial Boards of the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and the Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.
A dedicated mentor, Dr. Smith has guided more than 120 students, residents, and fellows through scholarly projects, resulting in over 50 co-authored manuscripts and nearly 150 conference abstracts. Thirty-eight of her mentees have received research-related awards from ACCP, the Georgia Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and the Georgia Pharmacy Association. As Director of UGA’s Academic Fellowship in Critical Care Program, she provides structured and individualized training to develop future clinician-scholars.
Dr. Smith’s national service includes elected leadership positions within the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Women in Academia SIG, the ACCP Critical Care Practice and Research Network, and the SCCM Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology Section. She is a graduate of the AACP Academic Leadership Fellows Program and the ACCP Professional Leadership Development Program, experiences that have honed her ability to lead diverse teams and innovate within academic pharmacy.
A hallmark of her scholarship is her commitment to expanding the pharmacist’s role in critical care. She has co-led multicenter collaborations examining pharmacist-to-patient ratios, medication regimen complexity, and pharmacist impact on ICU outcomes, helping shape national consensus recommendations endorsed by major professional societies. Her integration of data science and machine learning into critical care pharmacotherapy research represents an emerging frontier in precision medicine.
Dr. Smith resides in Athens, Georgia with her husband, Matt, and children, Claire and Cooper. In memory of her father-in-law, Grandpa Doug, her family is dedicated to raising awareness and support for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, a.k.a., Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Through Claire and Cooper’s Annual Birthday Benefit for ALS, their family has raised nearly $60,000 in support of the Live Like Lou Foundation and local families battling the disease.
Dr. Susan E. Smith is widely recognized as an educator, researcher, and national leader whose work strengthens clinical practice, enriches pharmacy education, and improves the care of critically ill patients. Her sustained dedication to mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and evidence-based innovation continues to shape the future of critical care pharmacy.
View Past Pharmacy Award Winners