Dr. Smith completed his PhD studies and medical degree at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute for Medical Research, London and the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University. He completed postgraduate medical training in medicine and intensive care at Guy’s Hospital, London and RPAH and RNSH, Sydney. Dr Smith's major research focus is on neuronal signaling and disease states. Current projects include the characterization of endogenous pathways that strongly modulate voltage-gated sodium channels, the identification of the mechanisms by which external calcium modulates excitability, and the determination of specialized mechanisms at the nerve terminal function. The laboratory is particularly interested in how these mechanisms are modified at times of acute brain injury. He continues this work in his laboratory in the Section of Research and Development, VAPORHCS. He is also interested in ICU-based research and is collaborating on a study to determine if food type affects tolerance and biome in the critically ill.