Curriculum Vitae, updated 2026

Joseph L. Smith

PhD, MPH, MBA

Evidence strategist, research leader, and lecturer

I design real-world evidence studies, lead scientific teams, and translate results for healthcare decisions.

Research profile

Areas of inquiry and practice

I have led HEOR and real-world evidence studies from proposal and protocol through analysis, peer review, publication, and executive use. My work includes study design, evidence strategy, patient-centered research, and team leadership.

  • Observational Study Design
  • Health Economics
  • Comparative Effectiveness
  • Administrative Claims Data
  • Behavioral Health
  • Payer Evidence
  • Decision Science
  • Data Science
  • Health Policy
  • GTM Strategy
  • Leadership
  • AI in Evidence Work

Professional record

Appointments and experience

  1. Principal, Evidence & Strategy

    Evidence strategy, RWE leadership, and AI as an operating practice.

  2. Sr. Director, Scientific Solutions & Strategy

    Inspire, Arlington, VA (2024-2026).

  3. Associate Research Director

    Carelon Research, Wilmington, DE.

  4. Senior Researcher

    Carelon Research, Wilmington, DE.

  5. Research Fellow

    Community Behavioral Health (a Medicaid MCO), Philadelphia, PA.

  6. Postdoctoral Research Fellow

    Center for Mental Health, University of Pennsylvania.

  7. Senior Research Associate / Teaching Associate

    USF Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL (2014-2018).

  8. Program Assistant

    The Center for Community Solutions, Cleveland, OH (2010-2012).

Training and teaching

Education and academic appointment

  1. M.B.A., Healthcare Management, Entrepreneurship & Leadership

    Johns Hopkins University

  2. Ph.D., Public Health (Health Services Research)

    University of South Florida

  3. M.P.H., Health Policy & Management

    Kent State University

  4. B.S. Molecular & Cellular Biology; B.A. Psychology / Pre-Medicine

    Kent State University

2018-present

Lecturer, Jefferson University College of Population Health

Health Policy I & II, Statistics I for HEOR, and the US Healthcare System; mentor to MPH students completing applied capstone research.

Peer-reviewed scholarship

Refereed journal publications

  1. Stephenson JJ, Witkowski N, Smith JL, Wong AC, Bengtson LGS, Willey VJ. Assessing clinical inertia on implementing clinical guideline recommendations in patients with type 2 diabetes: a clinician survey study. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2026;19.

    DOI 10.2147/DMSO.S573007
  2. Tangri N, Ferguson TW, Teng CC, Bamforth RJ, Smith JL, Guzman M, Goss A. Validation of the Klinrisk machine learning model for CKD progression in a large representative US population. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2026;37(2):326–337.

    DOI 10.1681/ASN.0000000817
  3. Hoffman SR, Gangan N, Chen X, Smith JL, Tave A, Yang Y, Crowe CL, dosReis S, Grabner M. A step-by-step guide to causal study design using real-world data. Health Serv Outcomes Res Method. 2024.

    DOI 10.1007/s10742-024-00333-6
  4. Crowe CL, Xiang P, Smith JL, Pizzicato LN, Gloede T, Yang Y, Teng CC, Isenberg K. Real-world healthcare resource utilization, costs, and predictors of relapse among US patients with incident schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Schizophrenia (Heidelb). 2024;10(1):86.

    DOI 10.1038/s41537-024-00509-6
  5. Smith JL, Chung Y, Barron J, Barlows T, Nepal B, Carstens D. Exacerbations, treatment patterns, utilization, and costs before and after initiating of benralizumab for the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma. J Asthma. 2024;61(6):520–531.

    DOI 10.1080/02770903.2023.2289169
  6. Candon M, Fox K, Jager-Hyman S, Jang M, Augstin R, Cantiello H, Colton L, Drake R, Futterer A, Kessel P, Kwon N, Levin S, Maddox B, Parrish C, Robbins H, Shen S, Smith JL, Ware N, Shoyinka S, Lim S. Building an integrated data infrastructure to examine the spectrum of suicide risk factors in Philadelphia Medicaid. Adm Policy Ment Health. 2023;50(6):999–1009.

    DOI 10.1007/s10488-023-01299-2
  7. Hunter T, Naegeli AN, Nguyen C, Shan M, Smith JL, Tan H, Gottlieb K, Isenberg K. Medication use among patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis before and after the initiation of advanced therapy. BMC Gastroenterol. 2022;22(1):474.

    DOI 10.1186/s12876-022-02584-4
  8. Hoog M, Smith JL, Yu M, Peleshok J, Mody R, Grabner M. Association of dulaglutide initiation timing with treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United States. Clin Ther. 2022;44(6):873–887.

    DOI 10.1016/j.clinthera.2022.04.005
  9. Smith JL, Khatri UG, Olubiyi O, Hadley T, Lim S, Mandell D, Kang-Yi C. Behavioral health service use post-jail release and reduced risk of return to jail. J Community Psychol. 2022.

    DOI 10.1002/jcop.22813
  10. Candon M, Shen S, Fadeyibi O, Smith JL, Rothbard A. Trends in antipsychotic prescribing for approved and unapproved indications to Medicaid-enrolled youth in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 2014 and 2018. BMC Psychiatry. 2021;21(1):524.

    DOI 10.1186/s12888-021-03533-3
  11. Cummings JR, Smith JL, Wiesel Cullen S, Marcus SC. The changing landscape of community mental health care: availability of treatment services in national data, 2010–2017. Psychiatr Serv. 2021;72(2):204–208.

  12. Smith JL, De Nadai AS, Storch EA, Petrila J. Factors associated with length of stay in emergency departments for pediatric patients with psychiatric problems. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2019;35(10):716–721.

    DOI 10.1097/PEC.0000000000001651
  13. Wolfson J, Smith JL, Proper SA. Avoiding and managing Medicare fraud and abuse investigations of Mohs surgery: Mohs in the crosshairs. JAMA Dermatol. 2018;154(11):1249–1250.

    DOI 10.1001/jamadermatol.2018.2402
  14. Gregory ST, Kay B, Smith JL, Hall K, De Nadai AS, Quast T, Riemann BC, Storch EA. Treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults: a cost-effectiveness analysis of treatment strategies. J Clin Psychiatry. 2018;79(2).

    DOI 10.4088/JCP.17m11552
  15. Smith JL, McBride N, Storch EA. Outpatient treatment patterns of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2017;27(6):509–515.

    DOI 10.1089/cap.2017.0011
  16. Smith JL, Gregory S, McBride N, Murphy TK, Storch EA. Outpatient treatment of tic disorders among children and adults. Mov Disord Clin Pract. 2017;4(4):559–567.

    DOI 10.1002/mdc3.12472
  17. Smith JL, De Nadai AS, Storch EA, Langland-Orban B, Pracht E, Petrila J. Correlates of length of stay and boarding in Florida emergency departments for patients with psychiatric diagnoses. Psychiatr Serv. 2016;67(11):1169–1174.

    DOI 10.1176/appi.ps.201500283
  18. Oglesby WH, Smith JL, Alemagno SA. Diagnoses, prevalence, and state-based federal spending for HIV prevention and treatment in the United States, 2006–2009. AIDS Res Ther. 2014;11:15.

    DOI 10.1186/1742-6405-11-15
  19. Smith JL, Oglesby WH, Hartman O. Structural characteristics of local health departments providing HIV/AIDS services. J Community Med Health Educ. 2013;4(1):1–7.

    DOI 10.4172/2161-0711.1000264
  20. Oglesby WH, Alemagno SA, Zullo MD, Hartman O, Smith K, Smith JL, Buzzelli M. Review of MPH practicum requirements in accredited schools of public health. J Community Health. 2013;38(3):554–559.

    DOI 10.1007/s10900-013-9650-8
  21. Zhang Y, Ge X, Heemstra LA, Chen WD, Xu J, Smith JL, Ma H, Kasim N, Edwards PA, Novack CM. Loss of FXR protects against diet-induced obesity and accelerates liver carcinogenesis in ob/ob mice. Mol Endocrinol. 2012;26(2):272–280.

    DOI 10.1210/me.2011-1157
  22. Gunstad J, Benitez A, Smith JL, Glickman E, Spitznagel MB, Alexander T, Juvancic-Heltzel J, Murray L. Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor is associated with cognitive function in healthy older adults. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2008;21(3):166–170.

    DOI 10.1177/0891988708316860
Book chapter

Stanek K, Smith JL, Gunstad J. Structural and functional neuroimaging in obesity. In: Cohen R, Sweet L, eds. Brain Imaging in Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Neuroscience. Springer; 2011:193–201.

Selected honors

Awards and recognition

  1. Associate Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics

    University of Pennsylvania

  2. Best Proposal, Dept. of Psychiatry Research Mashup

    University of Pennsylvania

  3. First Prize Team, SOFWERX Data Science Hackathon

    Tampa, FL

  4. Joseph Krzanowski Invited Oral Presentation

    University of South Florida

  5. Public Health Doctoral Fellowship Award

    University of South Florida

  6. Zaynor Thesis Award

    Kent State University

  7. Davidson Outstanding Junior Award

    Kent State University

Academic contribution

Teaching, review, and professional service

Teaching

Graduate instruction in health policy, statistics for HEOR, and the US healthcare system at Jefferson University College of Population Health.

Peer review

Reviewer for Psychiatric Services and the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, Mental Health and Substance Abuse section.

Professional affiliation

International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR).

Public scholarship

RWEdnesdays, peer-reviewed publications, presentations, and practical writing.

Correspondence

Contact

I welcome serious notes about research collaboration, RWE study design, responsible AI, evidence capability building, teaching, and leadership.