Brent Smith, MD, MSc, MLS, FAAFP

Brent Smith, MD, MSc, MLS, FAAFP, is a family physician in Greenville, Mississippi, and a member of the board of directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). The AAFP represents 130,000 physicians and medical students nationwide. As an AAFP board member, Smith advocates on behalf of family physicians and patients to inspire positive change in the U.S. health care system.

A native of Cleveland, Mississippi, Smith is the son of a high school teacher and a nurse. Growing up in the home of a history teacher and football coach and a nurse instilled in him three lessons: the importance of education, the value of teamwork and the greater successes it leads to, and the understanding that neither of the previous two points matter if you aren’t helping others.

As a first-generation doctor, Smith developed a passion for family medicine during his third year of medical school at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. After completing residency, he finished his clinical education with a primary care sports medicine fellowship at the University of Alabama, combining an admiration for sports with a desire to treat the entire spectrum of medical conditions affecting athletes. During residency, fellowship and his early career, Smith worked to broaden his knowledge background by completing a Bachelor of History from Ouachita Baptist University, a Master of Science in Clinical Education through the University of Edinburgh, and a Master of Legal Studies in Healthcare Law through the University of Oklahoma.

Engaged in leadership from the beginning of his journey in family medicine, Smith started as an alternate delegate to the AAFP Congress of Delegates as a student, worked through several other positions in the AAFP, the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians and the Mississippi State Medical Association, and eventually became the resident member of the AAFP Board of Directors. Joining the AAFP Foundation, Smith worked with resident and student leadership development programs, a process he continues as lead consultant for the Emerging Leader Institute. Engaging at a state level through the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians, Smith works as a mentor for residents and students in Mississippi, encouraging leadership development and engagement at the state and national levels.

In his community, Smith volunteers as the team physician for Mississippi Delta Community College and previously chaired the sports medicine advisory committee for the Mississippi High School Activities Association, where he works to ensure the safety of all youth participants in Mississippi. He balances community service with serving as the program director for the Mississippi Delta Family Medicine Residency.

Smith is a proud uncle of Bailey, Garner, and Erin, godfather to more, and can usually be found after work at one of their sporting events or in his truck with his dog Klover, who will most likely be covered in mud.