Dr. Brigitte Smith is an associate professor of vascular surgery at the University of Wisconsin, where she serves as  vice chair of education for the Department of Surgery. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in 2009. She was the first graduate of the integrated vascular surgery residency program at the University of Wisconsin in 2015. She subsequently completed the Master of Health Professions Education program at the University of Illinois – Chicago in 2020. She is a Director of the Vascular Surgery Board of the American Board of Surgery, where she serves as the Chair of the Committee on entrustable professional activities.

Dr. Smith’s academic career is dedicated to surgical education. As a result of her own experience as the first resident in an integrated vascular surgery residency program, Dr. Smith became interested in how new models of GME are developed and implemented and how the outcomes of medical education are evaluated. Her research examines the association between educational variables, including programs, policies, and individual measures of competence, and patient care outcomes in unsupervised practice. She was previously funded by the National Board of Medical Examiners Stemmler Grant for a study investigating the association between ACGME Milestones assessment ratings during GME with patient care outcomes in practice. She has also investigated major shifts in GME training paradigms, including the factors that serve as the impetus for change and the outcomes of new models.

As a subspecialty surgeon, Dr. Smith brings clinical and educational diversity to leadership teams. She is acutely aware of the importance of elevating minority voices as new educational programs and policies are established.