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Valerie A. Smith

Professor in Population Health Sciences
Population Health Sciences

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 Cite

Economic 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 Cite

Outcomes 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 Cite
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Recent Grants


Developing robust anti-Obesity Medication ImplemeNtatiOn approaches to maximize population health (the DOMINO study)

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2028

Improving 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 - 2026

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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.