Brian Smith, PhD
Brian N. Smith, PhD
Deputy Director and Research Health Scientist
Women's Health Sciences Division
Email: Brian.Smith12@va.gov
Academic Appointment
Education
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Social and Behavioral Epidemiology, Health Psychology, Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Experimental Psychology (Social Psychology), PhD
Expertise and Interests
- Effects of traumatic stress and mental health sequelae—PTSD, depression, and other salient comorbidities—on indicators of physical health, functioning, and well-being across life domains
- The roles of biopsychosocial risk and resilience factors and mechanisms in populations at heightened risk for trauma, especially military Veterans, in the context of sex differences and aging
- Public health and health services implications of trauma exposure, PTSD, and health correlates
- Advanced statistical methods in health sciences research
Featured Publications
Smith, B. N., & Kaiser, A. P. (2025). Introduction to the special section on the long-term health impact of trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, comorbid conditions, and aging. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 38(4), 583-587. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.23184 PTSDpubs id1650151 (PDF)
Smith, B. N., Burns, H.M., Magruder, K.M., Spiro, A., Pless Kaiser, A., Kimerling, R., Frayne, S.M., Kilbourne, A.M., Stock, E.M., Forsberg, C.W., Smith, N.L., & Smith, B.N. (2025). Posttraumatic stress disorder and hypertension in older adult Vietnam Era male and female veterans. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 38(4), 659-670. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.23162 PTSDpubs id1648703 (PDF)
Smith, B. N., Burns, H.M., Magruder, K.M., Spiro, A., Pless Kaiser, A., Kimerling, R., Frayne, S.M., Kilbourne, A.M., Stock, E.M., Forsberg, C.W., Smith, N.L., & Smith, B.N. (2025). Functioning and disability consequences of comorbid PTSD and diabetes in Vietnam Era men and women veterans. Health Psychology, 44(12), 1160-1170. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0001516 PTSDpubs id1649868 (PDF)
Smith, B. N., Magruder, K.M., Spiro, A., Kimerling, R., Frayne, S.F., Kilbourne, A.M., Pless Kaiser, A., & Smith, B.N. (2024). Associations between posttraumatic stress disorder and diabetes in Vietnam-era women veterans in the HealthViEWS study. Journal of Women’s Health, 33(7), 926-937. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2023.0838 PTSDpubs id1634379 (PDF)
Smith, B. N., Spiro, A., Frayne, S.M., Kimerling, R., Cypel, Y., Reinhard, M.J., Kilbourne, A.M., & Magruder, K.M. (2020). Impact of wartime stress exposures and mental health on later-life functioning and disability in Vietnam-era women veterans: Findings from the Health of Vietnam-era Women's Study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 82(2), 147-157. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000762 PTSDpubs id1546503 (PDF)
Find a full list of my publications on NIH
.
Key Projects
- Long-Term Health Impact of Vietnam Era Service: Examining Gender Differences in Risk of Mortality and Chronic Disease (Principal Investigator: Smith, B.N.) Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Merit Award – 1I01CX002164
- Health Mechanisms and Outcomes in an Epidemiological Cohort of Vietnam Era Women Veterans (PI: Smith, B.N.) NIH NIA Award – R03 AG052872
- Work and Family Functioning in Women Veterans: Implications for VA Service Use (PIs: Vogt, D. & Smith, B.N.) VA Merit Award – HX001069
Membership in Professional Societies
- International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Vice President (2024-present), Executive Committee (2021-present), Board of Directors (2020-present), Co-Chair, Aging, Trauma, and the Life Course Special Interest Group (2014-present)
- European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
- American Psychological Association: Division 56 (Trauma Psychology) and Division 38 (Society for Health Psychology)
- American Public Health Association
Awards and Honors
- Honorable Mention, Military Family Research Institute Award for Excellence in Research on Military and Veteran Families, 2018
Members of the press interested in scheduling an interview please see the contact for the media page.
