VA San Diego Healthcare System Director Retires
After a long and eventful career serving Veterans, Robert M. Smith, MD, VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) Director and Chief Executive Officer, will retire at the end of June.
Dr. Smith has served as Director since July 24, 2016, but has been associated with the VASDHS since beginning his training in Internal Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in 1979. He completed residency training, served as Chief Resident in Internal Medicine, and then completed a Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellowship at USCD before pursuing a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Biochemistry at the Scripps Clinic Research Institute and then joining the UCSD School of Medicine faculty.
Dr. Smith officially joined VASDHS in 1993 and has assumed many leadership roles, including Director of Medical Critical Care, Associate Chief of Staff for Healthcare Analysis, Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Development, and Chief of Staff.
In addition to being VASDHS Director, Dr. Smith has been a Professor of Medicine at UCSD, a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians, and recognized by San Diego Business Journal as one of San Diego’s Most Influential People.
Following Dr. Smith’s departure, Dr. Kathleen Kim, VASDHS Chief of Staff, will be the interim VA San Diego Healthcare System Director.