Professor Karen Smith
Qualifications
BSci(Hons), Grad Cert Exec BA, Grad Dip Epi and Biostats, PhD
Prof Smith is the National Director of Research and Evidence at Silverchain Group, a large NFP Community aged and health care organisation. Prof Smith’s role includes overseeing the development of innovative models of care, determining the effectiveness of care, and trialling new interventions.
Her portfolio includes an active research program on community care patients, including examining the complexity of patients accessing community care, understanding drivers of resource use and augmenting models of care with digital technology. Prior to this Prof Smith was the Director of the Centre for Research and Evaluation at Ambulance Victoria (AV) and received an Order of Australia Medal for her internationally recognised work in pre-hospital research in 2023.
Prof Smith is a health services researcher with extensive experience in clinical and operational research, clinical quality registries, and in the design, and implementation of clinical trials. She also holds Adj Professorial positions with the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Monash University, Curtin University School of Population Health, and the Queensland University of Technology School of Nursing and is a volunteer director on several Boards.
Awards include Top 50 Public Sector Women (Victoria) 2020 Award by the Institute of Public Administration Australia. This award recognises individual excellence and achievement of exceptional female leaders and their significant work.