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Dr. Wilbur Smith Named Chair of Radiology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine

Wilbur Smith, Jr., MD, has been appointed chair of radiology at the Wayne State University (WSU) School of Medicine and radiologist-in-chief at the Detroit Medical Center (DMC). The WSU/DMC radiology department is one of the largest in the country, with approximately 65 faculty members performing more than 600,000 imaging procedures each year.

A pediatric radiologist, Dr. Smith joined the staff at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in 1999 and became a professor at WSU in 2000. In addition to his faculty appointment, Dr. Smith also serves as director of the radiology residency program, which offers academic and clinical training for radiology specialists. He has a research interest in medical education and has published extensively on curriculum evaluation, novel teaching methods, learning techniques, computer assisted instruction and education systems. In addition, he serves on multiple education committees for the American College of Radiology, the Radiological Society of North America and the Association of University Radiologists. He is also a charter member of the Alliance of Medical Student Instructors in Radiology and the co-author of a textbook for radiology instructors.

Dr. Smith’s additional areas of research interest are abusive head injury in children, pediatric neuroradiology and health care delivery. He serves a number of child abuse prevention projects and organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Child Abuse and Neglect. He is also regularly consulted nationwide on issues of child abuse and neglect and has authored numerous publications and book chapters on these matters.

“Dr. Smith has demonstrated extraordinary competence in patient care, scientific research and teaching. I am delighted to have him leading our radiology efforts, especially as the fields of imaging and diagnostic radiology grow in importance and advance with technology. I have every confidence that he will continue to raise the quality of radiology services across the spectrum,” said John Crissman, MD, dean of the WSU School of Medicine.

Dr. Smith earned his bachelor’s and medical degrees at State University of New York at Buffalo. He did residency and fellowship training at Buffalo Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He has served on the faculties at Indiana University and the University of Iowa and has been a professor of radiology since 1982. He came to Detroit in 1998 as chair of diagnostic radiology at Henry Ford Hospital, and joined WSU and the DMC the following year.

With more than 250 peer-reviewed research papers, eight book chapters and two radiology textbooks to his credit, Dr. Smith takes an interest in the latest advances in his field. He is associate editor of two major journals—Academic Radiology and The Quarterly Child Abuse Medical Update-- and is also an ad hoc reviewer for a number of professional journals including the Journal of the American Medical Association.

With more than 1,000 medical students, the Wayne State University School of Medicine is among the nation’s largest medical schools. Together with its clinical partner, the Wayne State University Physician Group, the school is a leader in patient care and medical research in a number of areas, including cancer, genetics, the neurosciences and women’s and children's health.