Herbert C. Smitherman Jr., MD, MPH, FACP, is Assistant Dean of Community and Urban Health, and Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine. He is also President and CEO of Health Centers Detroit Medical Group, a Federally Qualified Health Center Look Alike in the city of Detroit.
 
His research focuses primarily on health issues related to underrepresented populations of color and access to care.  Dr. Smitherman has spent the past twenty-one years working with diverse communities in Detroit to develop urban-based primary-care delivery systems that integrate the health and social goals and concerns of the community.  He has been successful establishing and working with best practice models that have community participation and collaboration as the key element in creating sustainable primary care programs.  Early results suggest that generating a sense of community ownership may lead to healthier communities overall.
 
Dr. Smitherman received his bachelor’s of science in chemical engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University, in Evanston, Ill.  He completed his medical degree at the University of Cincinnati and his Master’s degree in Health Services Administration at the University of Michigan.
 
Dr. Smitherman is also interested in health care and international economics.  He has completed special course work in international economics and U.S. macroeconomics at Amherst College, in Amherst, Mass., and health care economics at Harvard University.
 
As an International Salzburg Healthcare Fellow, Dr. Smitherman was invited to spend time in Salzburg, Austria to participate with over 80 health care experts from all over the world in the 2002 Salzburg Seminar, which has a 54-year history of exploring a variety of healthcare issues from a global perspective.  He has also traveled and lectured internationally participating in conferences on health matters affecting basic access to care for all people.