Brian Smith, PhD

Research Psychologist

Women's Health Sciences Division

See staff directory for contact information.

Academic Appointment

• Boston University School of Medicine, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Education

• Virginia Commonwealth University, Health Psychology, Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2004
• Virginia Commonwealth University, Experimental Psychology (Social Psychology), PhD, 2001
• Virginia Commonwealth University, Experimental Psychology (Social Psychology), MS, 2000
• Virginia Commonwealth University, Psychology, BS, 1996

Expertise and Interests

• The social context of health, including predictors of health-related behaviors and outcomes, gender differences in health-risk mechanisms, and health disparities
• Risk and resilience factors associated with psychological and physical reactions to traumatic stress
• Effects of trauma and PTSD on functioning and quality of life
• Social network effects and the utility of social technologies for connectivity, support, and health promotion

Membership in Professional Societies

• International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
• Association for Psychological Science
• Health Psychology (American Psychological Association, Division 38)
• Society for Personality and Social Psychology
• Association of VA Psychologist Leaders

Awards and Honors

• Outstanding Social Psychology Doctoral Student of the Year, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2001
• Psychology Honors, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1996

Selected Publications

Smith, B.N., Wang, J.M., Vogt. D., Vickers, K., King, D.W., & King, L.A. (2013). Gulf war illness: symptomatology among veterans 10 years after deployment. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 55, 104-110. doi:10.1097/JOM.0b013e318270d709

Smith, B.N., Vaughn, R.A., Vogt, D.S., King, D.W., King, L.A., & Shipherd, J.C. (2013). Main and interactive effects of social support in predicting mental health symptoms in men and women following military stressor exposure. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 26, 52-69. doi:10.1080/10615806.2011.634001.

Vogt, D., Smith B., Elwy, R., Martin, J., Schultz., M., Drainoni, M., & Eisen, S. (2011). Predeployment, deployment, and postdeployment risk factors for posttraumatic stress symptomatology in female and male OEF/OIF Veterans. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 120, 819-831. doi:10.1037/a0024457

Luo, J. & Smith, B. (2011). Social networking, health 2.0, and beyond. In N Dewan, J. Luo, & N Lorenzi. (Eds.) Behavioral Healthcare IT for Clinicians (pp. 119-131). Springer-Verlag: London. doi:10.1007/978-1-84996-344-2_8

Smith, B., Shipherd, J., Schuster, J., Vogt, D., King, L., & King, D. (2011). Posttraumatic stress symptomatology as a mediator of the association between military sexual trauma and post-deployment physical health in women. Journal of Trauma and Dissociation, 12, 275-289. doi:10.1080/15299732.2011.551508

Members of the press interested in contacting this staff member to schedule an interview should reach out to the Division contact for the press.