Brent Smith, MD, MSc, MLS, FAAFP

Brent Smith, MD, MSc, MLS, FAAFP, is a family physician in the Mississippi Delta, and a member of the board of directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians. The AAFP represents 130,000 physicians and medical students nationwide. As an AAFP board member, Smith advocates on behalf of family physicians and patients to inspire positive change in the U.S. health care system.

A first-generation physician and a native of Cleveland, Mississippi, Smith is the son of a high school teacher and a nurse. Growing up in the home of a history teacher and football coach and a nurse who instilled in him the values of hard work, servant leadership, and community minded activism.

Smith developed a passion for family medicine during his third year of medical school, and cemented choice after attending the AAFP National Resident and Student Conference. After completing residency, he finished his clinical education with a primary care sports medicine fellowship at the University of Alabama, combining an admiration for sports with a desire to treat the entire spectrum of medical conditions affecting athletes. During residency, fellowship and his early career, Smith worked to broaden his education by completing a Bachelor of History from Ouachita Baptist University, a Master of Science in Clinical Education through the University of Edinburgh, and a Master of Legal Studies in Healthcare Law through the University of Oklahoma.

Engaged in leadership from the beginning of his journey in family medicine, Smith started as an alternate delegate to the AAFP Congress of Delegates as a student, worked through several other positions in the AAFP, the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians and the Mississippi State Medical Association, and eventually became the resident member of the AAFP Board of Directors. Joining the AAFP Foundation upon entering practice, Smith worked with resident and student leadership development programs and helped guide existing and launch new AAFP Foundation Signature Programs. He continues to engage with students and residents as lead consultant for the Emerging Leader Institute. Engaging at a state level through the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians, Smith works as a mentor for residents and students in Mississippi, encouraging leadership development and engagement at local, state and national levels.

In his community, Smith volunteers as the team physician for Mississippi Delta Community College and previously chaired the sports medicine advisory committee for the Mississippi High School Activities Association, a group he led through the COVID pandemic. He balances community service with serving as the program director for the Mississippi Delta Family Medicine Residency as well as other clinical duties in the Delta.

Smith is a proud uncle of Bailey, Garner, and Erin and can usually be found after work at one of their sporting events or in his truck with his dog Klover, who will most likely be covered in mud.