Dr. Herbert C. Smitherman
Herbert C. Smitherman Jr., M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P.
Assistant Dean of Community and Urban Health
Dr. Smitherman is an associate professor of internal medicine for Wayne State University School of Medicine. He is president and chief executive officer of Health Centers Detroit Medical Group, a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike in the City of Detroit that serves the under insured and uninsured in Detroit and Wayne County.
His research focuses on the health issues of the underrepresented and underserved populations’ access to appropriate health care in the context of health care reform. Dr. Smitherman has spent 23 years as a practicing physician, 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 established best practice models for community participation and collaboration to create sustainable primary care programs and service networks. Early results suggest that generating a sense of community collaboration and ownership around health care outcomes may lead to healthier communities.
Dr. Smitherman received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University. He received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati and his master’s degree in Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan.
Dr. Smitherman is interested in health care and international economics. He has completed special course work in international economics and U.S. macroeconomics at Amherst College, and health care economics and conflict resolution at Harvard University.
As an International Salzburg Healthcare Fellow, Dr. Smitherman was invited to spend time in Salzburg, Austria, to participate with more than 80 health care experts from all over the world in the 2002 Salzburg Seminar, which has a 54-year history of exploring health care issues from a global perspective. He has traveled and lectured nationally and internationally, participating in conferences on health matters affecting basic access to care for all people.