Professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine

Dr. Sharla Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Kansas City.  Dr. Sharla Smith has a PhD in Health Systems and Services Research with a concentration in Health Economics.  Dr. Smith earned an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Management from University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and a PhD in Health Services and Systems Research at UAMS.  She is a health services researcher who has been working in public health since 2006.  Her current research focuses on maternal and infant health disparities.  

Dr. Smith is also one of the founding partners of the Kansas Birth Equity Network (K-BEN) which has a mission of eliminating health disparities for African Americans in Kansas by increasing awareness of the high rate of African American maternal and infant mortality and connecting individuals with local resources.