Alumni/ae Spotlight

Edward A. Smith, Jr. (FACHE, MHA ‘64)

By Raissa Remandaban

Edward Smith has been a vital part of Virginia Commonwealth University’s history and has applied his talents in health care throughout his long and prosperous career at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, VA.In 1996, he was the first recipient of the Dean Thomas C. Barker Award for “Outstanding Preceptor” for the Department of Health Administration. In addition to his VCU milestones, he was the first Full Professor (Affiliate) appointed by the Department of Health Administration at VCU.

Mr. Smith has achieved extremely high accolades in the academic arena. He has served as preceptor for 56 residents from numerous institutions such as VCU (Richmond, VA), The University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA), George Washington University (Washington, DC), Washington University (St. Louis, MO), Trinity University (San Antonio, TX), U.S. Army (Baylor University) and Xavier University (Cincinnati, OH). He has also perfected his hands-on approach to his job. "Residents who are trained at the VCU program are exceptionally talented, bright and capable. They bring a wealth of knowledge to their residencies. VCU graduates compete exceptionally well when compared with other graduate programs. Many have been recognized for their regional and national leadership." Being able to interact with students gives him the opportunity to pass on his wealth of knowledge to aspiring young professionals in the field of health.

When asked how he ended up with a career in the field of health, Mr. Smith responded with one word “serendipity.” His career began during the summer of the late 50’s at University of Virginia where he drove a bakery truck for the University Food Services. Following graduation in the early 60’s his responsibilities shifted towards the field of research where he sought out solutions to the challenges of recruitment and retention among Dietary employees. The fruits of his research were seen in the recommendations his team compiled that resulted in the recognition of the Dietary Department as “the most desirable and respected place to work.”

Another bridging experience of the didactic and pragmatic was the time when then-President Lyndon Johnson was hospitalized at U.Va. “He was visiting his daughter and son-in-law in Charlottesville when he had a heart attack,” Smith said. “I was assistant hospital director at the time, and I remember when there was a tug of war between the administration and the Secret Service. They asked us to evacuate the Davis wing, which housed about 70 patients. You have to remember this was during the post-Kennedy assassination period. After a number of pointed discussions, we were able to work out a plan and the wing was not evacuated,” he said. “Then, late one evening a man from Nashville, Tenn., called the hospital administrator and made a threat on Johnson’s life. Before the caller could get off the phone, he was arrested in a Nashville bus station by the Secret Service and the police.” The hospital received a number of complimentary letters from the President and the Secret Service on their hard work accommodating President Johnson and Lady Bird.

With the abundance of experiences to draw from his bag of memories, Mr. Smith did have some pearls of advice for those aiming to thrive in the health industry. Strong interpersonal skills and interactions have been his greatest strengths. He encourages interaction with house staff and professionals. A firm believer of “management by walking around,” Mr. Smith strongly encourages his residents to, “carefully observe the different management styles of administrators and pick and choose those styles and characteristics which they feel will work for them. The Administration sets the tone of the expectations for the organization. When elephants fight ants die.”

Mr. Smith fondly remembers his former days with VCU. He recalls having close interaction with faculty. One of the best lessons he learned was from Robert Hudgens and Charles Cardwell who spent lots of time with the students. Hudgens and Cardwell invited the class to observe a press conference. When the students returned to class, they asked the students to critique the manner in which they answered questions and the strategies behind their responses. Mr. Smith saw this as an excellent melding of theoretical and the pragmatic. "The Department of Health Administration has been a very important component in my professional career development since it has provided formal and informal linkages to the cutting edge intellectual capital which is taught in the didactic phase. The Department has provided a steady stream of high quality students for our residency program for many years."

The best way to describe Mr. Smith is “balanced.” He has seen the health field grow from it’s infancy to adulthood. William E. “Nick” Carter, U.Va’s Director of Health System Relations and Network Systems, commented “Anybody with that kind of service history has a wealth of knowledge and recollection of the history. He can explain why we did what we did and how we got where we are. And it’s good to have that perspective from time to time.” As a Department we are very fortunate and honored to be associated with him.