Lisa V. Smith, MPH '94, DrPH '00

Lisa V. Smith, DrPH, MPH, is an Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Since joining the UCLA faculty in 2001, she has taught several popular courses designed to enhance students’ skills in public health research, and has participated in numerous student recruitment workshops and internship programs. Dr. Smith is the recipient of many awards including Faculty of the Year in 2006, Best Faculty Member, Epidemiology in 2014, as well as Favorite Epidemiology Professor in 2019. She was also inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health in 2025.

Dr. Smith also serves as a Chief Epidemiologist at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health where she directs the Rapid Assessment, Training and Evaluation Unit which has implemented over 30 rapid surveys on emerging public health issues and led 125 epidemiologists during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also coordinates internships and training programs for graduate epidemiology students and has mentored over 60 public health interns. In recognition of her contributions to public health, she was awarded the Outstanding Employee Award and Leadership Award in 2012, Top Ten Published Manuscript Award in 2018, Countywide Productivity and Quality Top Ten Award in 2021, Innovation Award in 2022, and Compassion Award in 2023.

Dr. Smith earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Loyola Marymount University and a Master of Science in Biology from California State University, Los Angeles. She later earned a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology in 1994 and a Doctor of Public Health in Epidemiology in 2000, both from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. After obtaining her doctorate, she successfully completed the University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship and received the UCLA Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Award in 2002.

In 2026, Dr. Smith was inducted into the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Hall of Fame and received the Lester Breslow Lifetime Achievement Award.