Meet Our Team · Subject Matter ExpertDr. Tracey Smith, DNP, PHCNS-BC, MS
Public Health — Subject Matter Expert, WeHealUS
A nationally recognized public health nurse, researcher, and educator whose career has built bridges between medicine, community, and policy. Tracey is one of the women who, alongside Heather Proctor and three others, co-founded the Illinois Light Initiative — the coalition whose work made Illinois the first declared healing-centered state in the nation.
25+Years in public health
& community nursing$60M+In grant funding
written & managed635+Community Health Workers
trained for IL COVID response10+Peer-reviewed
publicationsAbout Tracey
Dr. Tracey Smith is a doctorally prepared public health nurse and board-certified Public Health Clinical Nurse Specialist with more than two decades of leadership across medicine, academia, and community-based public health. She currently serves as Executive Associate Director for Public Health Practice at the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA), where she has built statewide infrastructure for Community Health Worker (CHW) programming and managed a portfolio exceeding $60 million in grant and program funding.
Prior to IPHA, Tracey spent more than two decades at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, where she rose to the rank of Research Associate Professor and served as the inaugural Executive Director of the Office of Community Initiatives & Complex Care. She is widely credited with embedding population health, community engagement, and trauma-informed practice into SIU's medical student curriculum and clinical workflows.
Tracey brings to WeHealUS a rare combination of credentials: deep experience with statewide CHW workforce development, expertise in trauma-informed care and population health, fluency in academic publication and grant management, and lived experience as a co-founder of the coalition that put Illinois on the national map as a healing-centered state.
Illinois Light Initiative Co-FounderIn 2020, Tracey joined Heather Proctor and three other women in founding the Illinois Light Initiative following a community tragedy in Springfield, IL. The coalition's advocacy led to SR0301, making Illinois the first declared healing-centered state in the nation.
Current Work
Tracey leads multi-million dollar public health initiatives at the state level while consulting nationally on trauma-informed system redesign and Community Health Worker programming.
Oct 2020 – PresentExecutive Associate Director for Public Health Practice
Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA)- Oversees a portfolio exceeding $60 million in grant and program funding, including grant development, writing, and management.
- Established contracts with 76 community-based organizations and 24 federally qualified health centers across Illinois to deliver the state's COVID-19 response.
- Led the development of a CHW training program that prepared more than 635 Community Health Workers to respond to pandemic needs statewide.
- Achieved a 96% success completion rate (against a 92% goal) for the statewide COVID resource request management program.
- Designed CHW advisory committee infrastructure through IDPH funding, ensuring diverse statewide representation.
- Co-developed CHW 101 training curriculum jointly with the Illinois Primary Health Care Association.
- Negotiates contracts, develops resolutions and position papers, and advocates with elected and appointed officials on behalf of IPHA's membership.
July 2022 – PresentIT Consultant
Chicago Public Health Department- Expert consultant on the development of an IT platform to support CHW navigation of care provision.
2019 – PresentFounder & Principal Consultant
S Consulting- Provides private consulting to health departments on trauma-informed system re-development and the deployment of CHW programming.
Prior Leadership
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine · 1997 – 2020Promoted multiple times over a 23-year tenure, culminating in the rank of Research Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Key roles included:
- Executive Director, Office of Community Initiatives & Complex Care (2019–2020) — Inaugural director of an innovative office focused on community engagement to address complex care.
- Director of Population Health Integration, Family & Community Medicine (2015–2019) — Inaugural director leading population health integration across SIU Medicine's 66-county service area.
- Director of Medical Student Education & Community Outreach, Family and Community Medicine (2014–2015) — The first non-physician to direct a medical student education program at SIU.
- Director, Access to Health Program (national award-winning community change initiative)
- Director, National Center for Complex Care HUB Site at SIU School of Medicine
- Co-Faculty, Comprehensive Care Clinic for patients with complex health needs
Publications
Peer-reviewed publications in public health, medical education, population health, and women's health. Click any title to access the full article via the publisher or PubMed.
2018What is it like to experience improved care coordination through a community outreach program? A qualitative, descriptive study ↗DOI: 10.1097/JAC.0000000000000239201720172017Predictors and spatial variation of radon testing in Illinois, 2005–2012 ↗DOI: 10.1097/PHH.000000000000053420152011201020021999Journal & Conference Review Service
Reviewer, Teaching and Learning Medicine (TLM): May 2013, August 2013, October 2015, February 2016, August 2018.
Reviewer, National Meetings: CHW Section, American Public Health Association (APHA) — 2018, 2019.
Presentations
Tracey is a sought-after speaker at international, national, regional, and local venues. Selected highlights below; click any group to expand the full record.
International Presentations
- Lead Presenter — "Health Literacy Knowledge and Modality of Knowledge Acquisition in a Family Medicine Resident Clinic." Sigma Theta Tau International, Indianapolis, IN, November 2013.
- Co-Presenter (Aiello, M., Smith, T.) — "Using Standardized Patients for the Screening Head-to-Toe Physical Examination." ASPE, Toronto, Canada, 2007.
- Co-Presenter / Oral (Hull, S., Dunaway, G., Mies-Richie, A., Smith, T., Yale, B., Verhulst, S.) — "Integration of Population Health in the Basic Science Medical Curriculum." International Association of Medical Science Educators Annual Meeting, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2006.
- Lead Presenter — "Health Needs of African Refugee Women in a Midwestern City in the U.S." 15th International Nursing Research Congress, Dublin, Ireland, 2004.
- Lead Presenter — "Attitudes and Beliefs of Registered Nurses about Low-Income Expectant Women." 15th Annual Nursing Research Congress, Dublin, Ireland, 2004.
National Presentations — Selected Highlights
- Co-Presenter — "Hotspotting 101: How to Build an Interprofessional Student Hotspotting Team in Your Community." National Academies of Practice, Pentagon City, VA, March 2019.
- Co-Presenter (Webinar) — "Hotspotting 101: How to Build an Interprofessional Student Hotspotting Team in Your Community." American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), October 2018.
- Co-Presenter (Pre-Conference Workshop) — "Integrating Interprofessional Student Hotspotting: Lessons Learned from Four Hotspotting Hubs." Jefferson Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, October 2018.
- Poster — "Trauma Informed Care: Experiential Learning Through Community Partnerships." American Psychiatric Conference, Chicago, IL, October 2018.
- Poster — "School Bus Stops: A Community Health Worker's Office." APHA 2018 Annual Meeting, San Diego, October 2018.
- Co-Presenter — "Joining Forces to Train on Population Health and Systems Thinking." Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, February 2018.
- Lead Presenter — "Neighborhood Safety and Equity Improvements: A Result of a Community Health Worker Program." APHA 2017 Annual Meeting, November 2017.
- Lead Presenter (with Cherry, H.) — "Health Literacy Teaching Tools for Medical Educators 101." STFM Conference, July 2017.
- Co-Presenter — "Community Collaboration: Innovative Approaches to Address Social Determinants of Health and Improve the Health of Vulnerable Populations." Catholic Health Association Pre-Assembly Community Benefit Program, June 2017.
- Lead Presenter — "Medical Providers and Service Agencies Unite: Achieving the Triple Aim Utilizing a Neighborhood Approach." STFM Annual Spring Conference, San Diego, CA, April 2017.
- Lead Presenter — "A Shop for Health: We Created That." Association for Prevention Teaching and Research, Albuquerque, NM, March 2016.
- Lead Presenter — "Translation and Application of Health Literacy Concepts by Medical Students in a Family and Community Medicine Clerkship." APTR, Albuquerque, NM, March 2016.
- Lead Presenter — "Health Literacy Knowledge in a Family Medicine Resident Clinic." Health Literacy Annual Research Conference, Bethesda, MD, October 2013.
- Lead Presenter — "Engaging Health Care Providers in Community Obesity Prevention." Weight of the Nation Conference, Washington, D.C., May 2012.
- Plus 35+ additional national peer-reviewed presentations and posters across STFM, APHA, ACPM, ASPE, CGEA, and other venues from 2007–2019.
Nationally Invited Presentations
- Pre-Conference Workshop Co-Presenter — "Integrating Interprofessional Student Hotspotting: Lessons Learned from Four Hotspotting Hubs." Jefferson Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, October 2018.
- Presenter, Recorded National CME Activity — "Radon and Clinical Practice." SIU School of Medicine, National CME Series, April 2018.
- Co-Presenter, Webinar — "Engaging Communities to Optimize Care Coordination." Children's Hospital Association, June 2017.
- Co-Presenter — "Community Collaboration: Innovative Approaches to Address Social Determinants of Health and Improve the Health of Vulnerable Populations." Catholic Health Association Pre-Assembly Community Benefit Program, June 2017.
Regional & Local Presentations — Selected
- Plenary Speaker — "And How Are the Children?" Wisconsin Nurses Association, Wisconsin Dells, WI, April 2019.
- Presenter — "Which Way Do I Go? A Question Asked Too Often by Patients of the Healthcare System." 2019 Illinois Women's and Family Health Conference, Normal, IL, October 2019.
- Plenary Co-Presenter — "We Are Stronger When We Partner! A Case Study on Partnering in One Springfield Neighborhood." IPHA 76th Annual Meeting, Springfield, IL, September 2017.
- Presenter — "Win-Win: Reducing the Cost Burden of Super-Utilizers While Improving Patient Outcomes." 75th Annual IPHA Meeting, Springfield, IL, September 2016.
- Keynote — "The Enos Park Access to Care Collaborative." Fundamentals of Evaluation Practice, UIS, Springfield, IL, October 2018.
- Plus 60+ additional regional and local presentations from 1998–2019.
Honors & Education
Honors & Awards
- 2020SIU Medicine COVID Response Award, SIU School of Medicine
- 2019Visionary Women: Champion of Peace & Nonviolence — Local Hero & Champion of Women's Health, SIU SOM
- 2018American Hospital Association ANOVA Award
- 2018Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Award for Institutional Excellence in Social Mission in Health Professions Education
- 2018Community Solutions Capital Innovator of the Year
- 2017Springfield Woman of Influence
- 2016Illinois Excellence in Radon Award
- 2015President's Award for Education, Illinois Academy of Family Physicians
Honor Societies
Sigma Theta Tau International · Phi Kappa Phi · Alpha Beta Gamma · Phi Theta Kappa
Education
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Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)Southern Illinois University School of Nursing, Edwardsville, IL · 2013Doctoral Honors
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Master of Science, Community Health NursingSouthern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL · 2003Summa Cum Laude · Commencement Speaker
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Bachelor of Science, NursingSouthern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL · 1994Summa Cum Laude
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Associate in Science, Business AdministrationLincoln Land Community College, Springfield, IL · 1990High Honors
Fellowships
- 2008 — AMIA 10x10 Program for Public Health Informatics Fellowship (Oregon Health & Sciences University)
- 2004 — Illinois Rural Interdisciplinary Fellowship, Quentin N. Burdick Fellowship
Current Certifications
- Youth Mental Health First Aid Provider (2022–Present)
- Public Health Clinical Nurse Specialist, Board Certified (PHCNS-BC) (2005–Present)
- RN License, Illinois (#041-282046) (1993–Present)
- Six Sigma Trained
Grants Written & Managed
Tracey has written and managed grants totaling more than $60 million across federal, state, foundation, and private funders. Selected major awards below.
$55MCOVID-19 Pandemic Health Navigator Regional Coordination
Illinois Department of Public Health · Nov 2020 – June 2022Development of a statewide community health worker program to provide COVID-19 relief across Illinois. Written and managed by Smith, T., at IPHA.
$55MIVAX — Illinois Vaccine Access
Illinois Department of Public Health · Nov 2020 – June 2022Statewide community health worker program for COVID-19 education and outreach. Written and managed by Smith, T., at IPHA.
$2.0MPrimary Care Training & Enhancement — Interprofessional Training in Population Health/Systems Thinking
Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) · 2016 – 2021Funding to develop a training program for population health and prevention education across physician assistant, medical student, and resident curricula. Co-Investigator.
$1.35MSmall Business Community Navigator Program
Illinois DCEO · 2021 – 2022Hub-and-spoke training model for community navigators outreaching to small businesses with COVID-19 back-to-business funding.
$1.15MNurse Family Partnership
HSHS, MMC, SIU, Community Foundation Funding · 2017 – 2020Development of a Nurse Family Partnership Program to decrease maternal and infant morbidity and mortality in Springfield through home visiting. Director.
$458KEnos Park Health Access Project
HSHS & Memorial Medical Center · 2015 – 2018National award-winning neighborhood-level access to care collaborative.
$132KImproving Radon Awareness
Illinois Emergency Management Agency · 2013 – 2019Multi-year radon outreach and clinical education program. Investigator.
$130KCommunity Mental Health Team
United Way of Central Illinois · 2018 – 2020Development of a Community Health Worker program reaching individuals struggling with mental health who are not engaged in healthcare services in Springfield. Principal Investigator.
$107KPedestrian and Bicycle Safety Project
Illinois Department of Transportation · 2021 – 2022School-based public health program helping youth identify pedestrian and bicycle injury risk locations and design interventions.
$105KImproving the Health of Illinoisans Through Prevention & Management of Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke
Illinois Department of Public Health · 2021 – 2022 (renewed 2022 – 2023)Utilization and advancement of community health workers in Illinois to provide chronic disease education and navigation.
$100KCommunity Based Organization Support to Increase Equitable Vaccination Coverage
CDC Foundation · 2021 – 2022Coordinated COVID-19 vaccination messaging, pop-up clinics, and education for minority populations.
$50KInterprofessional Student HotSpotting Learning Collaborative
Camden Coalition of Health Providers · 2017 – 2019Funding to become a national HUB for HotSpotting programs. Investigator.
Plus dozens of additional grants from funders including Susan G. Komen for the Cure, March of Dimes, American Heart Association, the National Library of Medicine, AAMC/CDC Regional Medicine/Public Health Education Center, Memorial Medical Center Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities, the American Diabetic Association, and others.
