Heidi Smith, MD, MSCI, FAAP

Dr. Heidi A. B. Smith, MD, MSCI, FAAP, is an assistant professor of Pediatric Critical Care and Anesthesiology at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. She received her undergraduate degree with high distinction from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Dr. Smith graduated Summa cum Laude from the University of South Dakota School of Medicine with her degree in medicine. There she was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) medical honors society and subsequently elected AOA President her senior year. Dr. Smith completed her pediatric residency and critical care fellowship at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. She has since received her Masters of Science in clinical investigation from Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Smith is a member of the Center for Human Genetics Research. Her research interests include amino acid deficiencies (citrulline/arginine) and genetic polymorphisms leading to disease processes exacerbated by decreased nitric oxide production such as pulmonary hypertension in children following congenital heart surgery. She was awarded the Vanderbilt Mentored Clinical Research Scholar Grant which funded her work on citrulline replacement in children undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. She subsequently was awarded the 2005 SPR Clinical Fellow Research Award in Washington, D.C., the Elliott Newman award for best oral presentation in Clinical Research at the 23rd Annual Vanderbilt Research Forum, and was an invited guest lecturer at the 2006 Japanese Society for Pediatric Research conference held in Kanazawa, Japan for her studies in this area. She is an active member of the pediatric research team continuing to evaluate amino acid deficiencies and new biomarkers of oxidative injury in the critically ill.

Dr. Smith has recently joined the delirium team, providing her expertise in caring for critically ill pediatric patients. She is extremely excited to complete a validation study of the pCAM (pediatric confusion assessment method), a bedside pediatric diagnostic tool for delirium. Dr. Smith hopes to better describe pediatric delirium and its effects on short and long term outcomes for critical care patients.