Bronx, NY—Richard V. Smith, M.D., FACS, has been named professor and university chair of the department of otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Smith assumed his new position on October 1 and had been the interim chair of the department since February 2020.
Dr. Smith, an accomplished thyroid/parathyroid surgeon, was the first to develop transoral robotic total laryngectomy, a complicated, but minimally invasive surgery for head and neck cancers that results in improved outcomes, such as shorter hospital stays. His research on genetic biomarkers in head and neck cancers to predict disease progression and develop personalized treatments has also been widely published.
“Dr. Smith’s significant accomplishments as a surgeon and researcher, including the pioneering of new robotic surgery techniques, reflects his unwavering commitment to patient-centered care,” said Philip O. Ozuah, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer at Montefiore. “We are excited about his vision for the department and are confident in his ability to lead it with empathy and an eye to the future.”
As interim chair, Dr. Smith streamlined patient scheduling for appointments and ensured the completion of necessary medical testing prior to subspecialty visits. This has led to a decrease in patient no-show rates and better, more productive in-person visits. In this role, he also spearheaded a new hospitalist service at the Moses campus and a new rotation for the residents in the department.
“Dr. Smith has proved himself an exceptional leader over the past 10 months and we’re immensely pleased he will be taking the helm,” said Gordon F. Tomaselli, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and executive vice president and chief academic officer at Montefiore Medicine. “His commitment to our medical students and to advancing care through research has enriched the College of Medicine and our greater enterprise.”
Earlier this year, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery honored Dr. Smith with their Board of Governors’ Practitioner Excellence Award, which recognizes an otolaryngologist that others wish to emulate and who is sought out by other physicians because of his personal and effective care.
In addition to this honor, Dr. Smith has held leadership positions in regional and national organizations, including the president of the New York Laryngological Society and the New York Head and Neck Society. He has also earned the Distinguished Academic Achievement Award from the University of Vermont College of Medicine.
Smith received his B.A. cum laude from Middlebury College and his M.D. from the University of Vermont. He completed his general surgery internship and his otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency at the Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC. After completing his training, he joined Montefiore and Einstein in 1995.
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About Montefiore Health System
Montefiore Health System is one of New York’s premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 10 hospitals, including the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and more than 200 outpatient ambulatory care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school,Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org. Follow us on Twitter and view us on Facebook and YouTube.
About Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation’s premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2020-21 academic year, Einstein is home to 732 M.D. students, 190 Ph.D. students, 120 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and approximately 250 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,900 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2020, Einstein received more than $185 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health. This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in cancer, aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. For more information, please visit einsteinmed.org, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and view us on YouTube.