Overview
Valerie A. Smith, DrPH, is a Professor in the Duke University Department of Population Health Sciences. Her methodological research interests include methods for semicontinuous and zero-inflated data, cost and utilization modeling, causal inference methods, observational study design, and longitudinal data analysis.
Dr. Smith works largely in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of researchers, with a focus on health policy interventions, health care utilization and expenditure patterns, program and policy evaluation, bariatric surgery and obesity treatment evaluation, aging, and caregiving.
Areas of expertise: Biostatistics, Health Services Research, Health Economics, and Health Policy
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Professor in Population Health Sciences
·
2025 - Present
Population Health Sciences,
Basic Science Departments
Associate Professor in Medicine
·
2021 - Present
Medicine, General Internal Medicine,
Medicine
Associate Professor in Biostatistics & Bioinformatics
·
2024 - Present
Biostatistics & Bioinformatics,
Basic Science Departments
Recent Publications
Effectiveness of the 2023-to-2024 XBB.1.5 COVID-19 Vaccines Over Long-Term Follow-up : A Target Trial Emulation.
Journal Article Ann Intern Med · February 4, 2025 BACKGROUND: Monovalent COVID-19 vaccines targeting the XBB.1.5 Omicron variant were introduced in September 2023. In the absence of randomized controlled trials demonstrating their efficacy, information on real-world vaccine effectiveness (VE) is needed. O ... Full text Link to item CiteEconomic costs of family caregiving for persons with advanced stage cancer: a longitudinal cohort study.
Journal Article J Cancer Surviv · February 2025 PURPOSE: To form a multifaceted picture of family caregiver economic costs in advanced cancer. METHODS: A multi-site cohort study collected prospective longitudinal data from caregivers of patients with advanced solid tumor cancers. Caregiver survey and ou ... Full text Link to item CiteOutcomes of Community-Acquired Acute Kidney Injury: A Cohort Study of US Veterans.
Journal Article Med Care · February 1, 2025 BACKGROUND: Community-acquired acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) occurs outside of the hospital and is the most common form of AKI. CA-AKI is not well understood, which hinders efforts to prevent, identify, and manage CA-AKI. OBJECTIVE: Examine 30-day outcomes ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Developing robust anti-Obesity Medication ImplemeNtatiOn approaches to maximize population health (the DOMINO study)
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2028Improving medication adherence and disease control for patients with multimorbidity: the role of price transparency tools
ResearchAdvisor · Awarded by National Institute on Aging · 2023 - 2027Improving the lives of persons living with dementia and their families through person-centered measurement of home time
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2021 - 2026View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ·
2015
DrPH
Stanford University ·
2008
M.S.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ·
2007
B.S.