Carl Smith, MD, will step down as obstetrics and gynecology chair

Following a 22-year career as chair of the UNMC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Carl Smith, MD, will be stepping down from that role. He has agreed to remain in the role until a successor has been identified and arrives on campus.

Dr. Smith, a 1978 UNMC medical school graduate who became chair of the department in 2002, will not retire and will continue to work clinically after moving away from his leadership role.

“I still enjoy practicing medicine and intend to be active clinically for a bit longer,” he said. “It’s time to do something different and to let other people share in the joy of leadership.”

Dr. Smith first came to UNMC as faculty in 1988, following a residency while in the Navy and a fellowship in maternal fetal medicine at the University of Southern California. He left, briefly, in 1999 to become obstetrics chair at the University of Arkansas, but he was lured back to UNMC in 2002 by longtime department supporter Leland Olson, MD, and James Armitage, MD, then-dean of the college of medicine.

“When I was recruited to return, the department was, quite frankly, a mere shadow of its current self in terms of the number of faculty that we had, with a fairly high turnover of residents and higher turnover of faculty,” Dr. Smith said. “My job was to reinvigorate the department of Ob-Gyn, and the department we have today is the work of 22 years. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to hire people that were smarter than I was, and I was able to get the heck out of the way and let them do their job. I think that is the proper formula for success as a leader.”

During his tenure, Dr. Smith served 12 years in the dean’s office as the senior associate dean for clinical affairs and later four years as chief academic officer for Nebraska Medicine.

“Dr. Smith’s impact on UNMC and Nebraska Medicine will be long-lasting,” said James Linder, MD, CEO of Nebraska Medicine. “In addition to his contributions as chair and a top maternal fetal medicine physician, he was essential to what we now call ‘Nebraska Medicine.’ As president of UNMC Physicians, he led the incorporation of the physician practice into the health system and was a key contributor to the founding board of directors. It’s always been a pleasure to work and plan with Carl.”

UNMC College of Medicine Dean Bradley Britigan, MD, said Dr. Smith has been an important figure at the medical center.

“In his 20-plus years as chair of obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Smith has had a tremendous impact on the improvement of women’s health programs at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine,” Dr. Britigan said. “He also has been a leader and mentor among his fellow department chairs.”

He also worked with Dr. Olson, Dorothy Olson and their family to create a physical home for the Olson Center for Women’s Health.

“I’m deeply grateful to the Olsons and their family for their continued support,” Dr. Smith said. “One, to recruit me back to Omaha in 2002, and then to continue to support the growth and development of the department. That kind of support made a lot possible that would otherwise have been impossible to do.”

When asked to list points of pride in his tenure, Dr. Smith pointed to the department’s stability.

“We have a nice blend of people that we have trained and people that we have recruited from elsewhere,” he said. “We’re able to recruit people who wish to stay with us. So this should be a great opportunity for a new leader – a department that has been stable over a fairly lengthy period of time. The longevity of our faculty is fairly substantial. We’ve had very low turnover rates. And hopefully that’s something that we can continue to be proud of.”

Dr. Smith said he was stepping down to explore other opportunities, both professionally at UNMC and personally.

“It’s time to slow down a little bit and do some other things. It’s the right time for me personally, and it’s the right time for the department as well. My assessment is the department is in really good shape. I hope we’ll be able to recruit some superb talent to continue to make the department grow stronger over time.”

Dr. Smith said he has appreciated the opportunity to lead what he called a fine department.

“Being an academic chair is quite simply the best job in academic medicine,” he said. “It allows you to define your success in terms of the accomplishments of others, not the accomplishments of yourself. I am grateful for the leadership that had the confidence in me to support me in this position and continued to support me for the 22 years that I have been chair.”