Top 100 Leaders

Roberta Ann Smith

Distinguished Faculty

Recognized for her groundbreaking research into ways to reduce stress associated with physical illnesses like cancer, medical procedures, and terminal illness by providing increased choice, predictability, and problem solving skills. She is known for research dedicated to identifying ways to individualize patient care by examining the effects of individual differences in patients’ responses to clinical interventions. In collaboration with Dr. Kenneth Wallston, she was one of the first nurse faculty at Vanderbilt to receive major clinical research funding from NIH. In addition to her research, throughout her career, she has been recognized as a mentor, educator, and faculty leader. From 1983 to 1984, she served as Interim Dean at Vanderbilt School of Nursing. Shortly thereafter, she left the school and relocated to Illinois to join her future husband.