December 20, 2021—Bronx, NY—Richard V. Smith, M.D., FACS, has been named professor and university chair of the department of otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Smith assumed his new position on October 1 and had been the interim chair of the department since February 2020.

Richard V. Smith, M.D.Faculty ProfileResearch Profile

Dr. Smith, an accomplished thyroid/parathyroid surgeon, was the first to develop transoral robotic total laryngectomy, a complicated, but minimally invasive surgery for head and neck cancers that results in improved outcomes, such as shorter hospital stays. His research on genetic biomarkers in head and neck cancers to predict disease progression and develop personalized treatments has also been widely published.

“Dr. Smith’s significant accomplishments as a surgeon and researcher, including the pioneering of new robotic surgery techniques, reflects his unwavering commitment to patient-centered care,” said Philip O. Ozuah, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer at Montefiore. “We are excited about his vision for the department and are confident in his ability to lead it with empathy and an eye to the future.”

As interim chair, Dr. Smith streamlined patient scheduling for appointments and ensured the completion of necessary medical testing prior to subspecialty visits. This has led to a decrease in patient no-show rates and better, more productive in-person visits. In this role, he also spearheaded a new hospitalist service at the Moses campus and a new rotation for the residents in the department.

“Dr. Smith has proved himself an exceptional leader over the past 10 months and we’re immensely pleased he will be taking the helm,” said Gordon F. Tomaselli, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and executive vice president and chief academic officer at Montefiore Medicine. “His commitment to our medical students and to advancing care through research has enriched the College of Medicine and our greater enterprise.”

Earlier this year, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery honored Dr. Smith with their Board of Governors Practitioner Excellence Award, which recognizes an otolaryngologist that others wish to emulate and who is sought out by other physicians because of his personal and effective care.

Dr. Smith has proved himself an exceptional leader over the past 10 months and we’re immensely pleased he will be taking the helm.

Dean Gordon F. Tomaselli, M.D.

In addition to this honor, Dr. Smith has held leadership positions in regional and national organizations, including the president of the New York Laryngological Society and the New York Head & Neck Society. He has also earned the Distinguished Academic Achievement Award from the The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of Vermont.

Dr. Smith received his B.A. cum laude from Middlebury College and his M.D. from the University of Vermont. He completed his general surgery internship and his otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency at the Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC. After completing his training, he joined Montefiore and Einstein in 1995.