Preeminent physician, civil rights activist, educator, researcher, public policy advocate, and visionary trailblazer in the field of family medicine, Dr. Robert Smith, has dedicated his entire life revolutionizing quality family healthcare in the African-American community and increasing the number of African-American doctors from 25 to 300 in the state of Mississippi. He has been President and Chief Executive Officer at Central Mississippi Health Services, Inc., originally Mississippi Family Health Center, since its founding in 1963, the first multi-doctor, multi-specialty primary health practice, specializing in family and internal medicine, cardiology, optometry and surgical specialization.
Dr. Smith, a “son” of Terry, Mississippi, is a proud 1957 graduate of Tougaloo College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry with a minor in Biology. From an early age, he was inspired to become a doctor after reading about Dr. Charles Drew, a pioneering African- American physician. He earned his medical degree from the Howard University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. and completed his residency and internship at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, IL. He has done further studies at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, TN, the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS, and Cook County Graduate School in Chicago. He is board certified in Family Medicine through the American Board of Family Medicine.
After completing his medical training, Dr. Smith advocated for a just society in which good health is not the luxury of the wealthy or even the privilege of the gainfully employed, but the basic human right of all people. He was an instrumental figure during the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi, providing consistent health care to those with little or no access. In the mid-1960s, he founded the Medical Committee for Civil Rights and the Committee for Human Rights, where he and other healthcare professionals aided and treated civil rights workers and Mississippians during Freedom Summer in 1964. In 1965, Dr. Smith was invited by President Lyndon B. Johnson to participate in the Whitehouse Conference on Health that brought together health leaders with the best minds and the boldest ideas to deal with the pressing health needs of the nation.
Dr. Smith co-authored and implemented the concept of “Federally Qualified Health Centers.” He co-founded the Delta Health Center, the nation’s first rural community health center in Mound Bayou, MS to provide accessible and affordable primary medical care and dental care services to individuals and families. There are now more than 10,000 centers serving 30 million Americans, including several hundred thousand Mississippians. He is also founder of the Mississippi Primary Health Care Association, a non-profit organization that provides health care for the medically underserved and indigent populations of Mississippi.
The recipient of numerous prestigious honors and awards for his endless hard work and dedication, Dr. Smith was recently conferred the American Medical Association’s highest award, the “Medal of Valor” for his commitment to fighting social injustice and demonstrating courage while risking his life to provide healthcare to Mississippi citizens during the turbulent civil rights era. He dedicates countless hours giving back to the community—throughout the United States as well as internationally. He is most proud of the award and his accomplishments as a family physician to thousands of Mississippians. He is a member of numerous prestigious medical organizations.
Dr. Smith is married to the former Otrie B. Hickerson, M.D., and they have three children: Claude, Donna and Robert, Jr., one adopted daughter, Pamela, two grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.