Lewis J. Smith, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Associate Vice President for Research, obtained an undergraduate degree at the City College of New York and a medical degree at the University of Rochester. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital (Rochester, N.Y.) and a fellowship in pulmonary medicine at Boston University. He joined the faculty of Northwestern University in 1979. He served as director of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Northwestern for 15 years (1982-97). He has had active laboratory-based and clinical research programs with funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the NIH, foundations and industry. For the past 25 years he has studied various aspects of asthma pathogenesis including the role of leukotrienes, oxidants, and diet. His present research focus is the role of diet in asthma severity.

He is currently a lead investigator in the American Lung Association's Asthma Clinical Research Centers program, co-principal investigator of the Chicago site for the NHLBI funded AsthmaNet program, principal investigator of a NHLBI funded multi-center clinical trial to define the potential therapeutic effect of soy isoflavones in patients with poorly controlled asthma and co-investigator on other NIH grants including CARDIA and SOL (Study of Latinos). Dr. Smith serves as a reviewer for several national funding agencies including the NIH. He developed and continues to lead the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation graduate training program at Northwestern University.