Lewis J. Smith, MD, is Professor of Medicine, Director of the Center for Clinical Research in the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, and Associate Vice President for Research at Northwestern University. He joined the faculty of Northwestern University in 1979 and has since served as Chief of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Division and Associate Director of the Office of Clinical Research and Training. He has had active laboratory-based and clinical research programs with funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), foundations and industry.
For the past 30 years he has studied various aspects of asthma and its treatment, including some of the initial studies exploring the role of leukotrienes and leukotriene modifiers in asthma. He has been the principal investigator (PI) for the Chicago site of the American Lung Association Airways Clinical Research Centers program since its inception in 1999, corresponding PI for the Chicago center of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute -supported AsthmaNet program, and PI of a multicenter NIH funded study exploring the role of soy isoflavones for the treatment of patients with poorly controlled asthma.
He has been involved in three large epidemiology studies (CARDIA, MESA, SOL) that are providing novel insights into the prevalence and incidence of airway diseases and the factors that contribute to and protect against the development of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He is currently leading an initiative to expand and enhance clinical research support throughout Northwestern and its clinical affiliates.
In his role as Associate Vice President for Research, several University Research Centers report to him and he serves as a liaison between the University and the Feinberg School of Medicine for issues related to clinical and translational research.
