Lorraine M. Smith

M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S.

Lorraine M. Smith, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S. is the Associate Director of the Pediatric division of OHNI, as well as a member of the Pediatric Otolaryngology panel and Pediatric Surgical Services at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. In 2007, Dr. Smith was recruited to the prestigious Osborne Head and Neck Institute to enhance their general Pediatric and Adult Otolaryngology Division, after serving as the first Chief of Otolaryngology for the Cedars Sinai Medical Group. She is a diplomate of the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of the Society of University Otolaryngologists. Dr. Smith holds professorships at the Charles Drew University and at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She currently serves as an Assistant Dean at Charles Drew University where she is also the Chair of the Urban Underserved College experience. She has received multiple awards and is one of the youngest recipients of the "Excellence in Medical Education" award given at the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Board certified in Otolaryngology as an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, Dr. Smith's primary clinical interests revolve around the care of pediatric patients with ear, nose and throat disorders. She is especially interested in patients with chronic allergies, rhinosinusitis, nasal polyps/tumors, cystic fibrosis, choanal atresia, and patients with chronic sleep disorders. She is skilled in the use of the Coblator radiofrequency unit for tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies as well as turbinate resections, along with the balloon sinuplasty techniques for patients with chronic sinusitis. She also is skilled in the care of pediatric patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma, C-cell hyperplasia or those who are ret-oncogene positive.

Dr. Smith's research interests currently include the management of otolaryngologic disorders in achondroplastic dwarfs and the endoscopic management of pediatric patients with nasal and sinus tumors. She has also been involved in the management of aggressive thyroid cancers; as well as health manpower issues for minority communities. She has published numerous articles in several peer-reviewed publications such as Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Topics in Emergency Medicine, and the ENT Journal.
Dr. Smith was born and initially educated in the British system of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. She came to the United States for her higher education and received her Bachelor's degree from the Howard University College of Liberal Arts as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor Society and her Medical degree from the Howard University College of Medicine, a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. She completed an internship in General Surgery at the Howard University Hospital, and her residency in Otolaryngology at the Charles R. Drew University-Department of Otolaryngology. Post-residency, Dr. Smith earned a Master's degree in Public Health (MPH) at UCLA, where she also completed her fellowship in Medical Education. Dr. Smith remains committed to the education of young physicians and the development of the next generation of Otolaryngologists.

Dr. Smith holds professional memberships in multiple local and national organizations committed to advancing the care of Otolaryngology patients and medical care in California. These include the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, the American College of Surgeons, the American Medical Association, the National Medical Association, the California Medical Association and the Los Angeles Otolaryngology Medical Society, the Los Angeles County Medical Association. She is also a member of the Society of University Otolaryngologists.

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