Departmental Affiliations
Primary
Katherine Clegg Smith, PhD, MA, is a sociologist who examines health experiences and health communication, with a research focus on cancer and chronic disease.
Contact Info
624 N. Broadway, Hampton House 726
Baltimore
Maryland
21205
US
410 955-7241
Research Interests
cancer prevention and survivorship; qualitative methods; tobacco control; mass media; textual analysis; health experiences; qualitative methods; mixed methods
Experiences & Accomplishments
Education
PhD
University of Nottingham
2002
MA
University of Leeds
1997
BA
University of Nottingham
1995
Overview
Dr. Smith is Professor in Health, Behavior and Society and also serves as the Vice Dean for Faculty in the Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Professor Smith is a sociologist with research interests around the social determinants of health and the application of qualitative methods to address important public health questions. Her particular areas of expertise are the communication of health information and the lived experience of health conditions. She also has a general interest in identity and its relationship to health. Much of her research is organized around individual and collective understanding of health issues and experiences. She was an author of the NIH Best Practices in Mixed Methods Research for the Health Sciences.
Dr. Smith has several current research projects that are focused on understanding and disseminating people's experiences of significant health conditions. She also leads the TPackSS study, a global surveillance system of tobacco packaging. She is also a member of the Health Experiences Research Network Steering Committee.
Professor Smith is a sociologist with research interests around the social determinants of health and the application of qualitative methods to address important public health questions. Her particular areas of expertise are the communication of health information and the lived experience of health conditions. She also has a general interest in identity and its relationship to health. Much of her research is organized around individual and collective understanding of health issues and experiences. She was an author of the NIH Best Practices in Mixed Methods Research for the Health Sciences.
Dr. Smith has several current research projects that are focused on understanding and disseminating people's experiences of significant health conditions. She also leads the TPackSS study, a global surveillance system of tobacco packaging. She is also a member of the Health Experiences Research Network Steering Committee.
Honors & Awards
HBS Departmental Award for Outstanding Faculty Devotion to Students (2011-12)
HBS Student Organization Awards for Mentorship (2012-13, 2017-18)
HBS Student Organization Award for Teaching (2013-14, 2015-16)
JHSPH Faculty Senate Leadership (2018-2021)
HBS Student Organization Awards for Mentorship (2012-13, 2017-18)
HBS Student Organization Award for Teaching (2013-14, 2015-16)
JHSPH Faculty Senate Leadership (2018-2021)
Select Publications
The following papers are illustrative of Professor Smith's recent work in understanding significant health experiences:
- Smith, K.C., Schlesinger, M., Warne, E., Wise, M. and Grob, R.m (Accepted). The familial canopy as thought space for meaning making, emotional calibration and planful action around inherited cancer risk. Social Science and Medicine – Qualitative Research in Health.
- Smith, K.C., Welding, K., Iacobelli, M., Saraf, S. and Cohen, J.E. (2022). Headshots on bidi and smokeless tobacco packs in India and Bangladesh: a curious branding element. Tobacco Control. 31(1): 117-8.
- Rivera, Y., Moran, M., Thrul, J., Joshu, C., Smith, K.C. (2021). When engagement leads to action: Understanding the impact of cancer (mis)information among Latino/a Facebook users. Health Communication. 1-13.
- Czaplicki, L., Welding, K., Cohen, J., Smith, K.C. (2021). Feminine appeals on cigarette packs sold in 14 countries. International Journal of Public Health. 66.
- Snyder, C., Choi, Y., Blackford, A., DeSanto,J., Mayonado., N, Rall, S., White, S., Bowie, J., Cowall, D., Johnston, F., Joyner, R., Mischtschuk, J., Peairs, K., Thorner, E., Tran, P., Wolff, A., Smith, K.C., SSCP Stakeholder Advisory Board. (2021). Simplifying Survivorship Care Planning: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing 3 Care Plan Delivery Approaches. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djab148
Projects
Tobacco Pack Surveillance System (TPackSS)