Dorothy L. Smith, Pharm.D., 1972 graduate of University of Cincinnati Medical Center, College of Pharmacy, was honored at the 2003 commencement with the Robert J. DeSalvo Distinguished Alumni Award for the advancement of patient advocacy, patient compliance, patient education and disease management. She is an internationally recognized author, patient advocate and expert in patient compliance and behavior modification.

Dr. Smith was honored for developing programs and materials for patients and consumers to help them make informed decisions about their health care and medication use. She was noted as an "architect, leader and visionary" for founding Consumer Health Information Corporation, one of the first companies in the United States to develop programs that increase compliance through patient education at every level: academia, publishing, international pharmacy, pharmaceutical patient information and consumer education. Through her company and professional crusades, she has developed programs that motivate patients and consumers to manage their medications safely and wisely.

"The reason I formed Consumer Health Information Corporation is because both patients and health professionals desperately need health and medication information that is clinically accurate and translated into language people can understand," said Dr. Smith.

Dr. Smith presently has more than thirty faculty appointments at pharmacy schools across the United States - teaching students how to develop patient education programs and apply drug information that leads to health literacy. She has served on the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Multidisciplinary Symposium on Verbal Counseling and the Surgeon General's Task Force on Aging and Health Promotion. She also serves as a Board Member of National Council on Patient Information and Education, National Board of Advisors for University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy and Dean's Advisory Council for University of Cincinnati Medical Center, College of Pharmacy.

Dr. Smith developed one of the first ambulatory patient counseling programs in which patients received private counseling from a pharmacist every time they received a prescription. She developed Medication Guide for Patient Counseling, one of the first publications designed to make it easier for health professionals to counsel patients, which became a required textbook in many schools of pharmacy and medicine in the U.S. and Canada. She has appeared on hundreds of television and radio programs including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Woman's World, and Cosmopolitan. In addition, Dr. Smith has delivered more than 140 addresses to professional, regulatory, government, and consumer audiences in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

Dr. Smith is a recognized authority on the use of prescription and nonprescription medications. She is the author of 23 books that provide consumers with clinically accurate, easy-to-understand advice on how to use their medications effectively. These books include the best-selling Understanding Prescription Drugs (Simon & Schuster) and Understanding Canadian Prescription Drugs (Key Porter Books). Dr. Smith presently writes and produces the popular newsletters, Patient Education Update and Taking Control of Your Medicines.

Dr. Smith received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy with "Great Distinction" from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, and was honored for having the highest academic standing in the national licensure examinations. She was then awarded the Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Cincinnati with a specialty in drug information and patient counseling. She resides in McLean, Virginia.

"It doesn't make sense to produce materials that consumers cannot understand," Dr. Smith told the Forum. "Too many consumers are suffering because they do not receive the right kind of health information. Patients make serious medication errors because they are not receiving health information they can understand and use."

Consumer Health Information Corporation
Consumer Health Information Corporation (www.consumer-health.com) is internationally recognized for its innovative patient information programs. The company develops patient education and consumer awareness programs on medication use and disease management. They have produced a broad range of award-winning print and audiovisual programs that have helped millions of people learn to make wise decisions about their health and medications. Clients include pharmaceutical companies, consumer organizations and Fortune 500 companies, national health care and professional associations, managed care organizations, insurance companies, and pharmacies. The company is a teaching site for several schools of pharmacy across the United States and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council on Patient Information and Education.