We are excited to announce Walt Smith, M.D., has joined the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine Department of Orthopaedic Surgery as an assistant professor in the Sports Medicine Section. He will also serve as a UAB Sports and Exercise Medicine physician.

Smith, an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in shoulder, elbow, and sports medicine, is UAB alumni, having completed medical school at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine and his residency with the UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. As a UAB Orthopaedic Surgery resident, Smith received the John S. Gould Award recognizing the most outstanding junior orthopaedic resident, and he served as an administrative chief resident during his fifth year. 

Following residency, Smith completed fellowship training in Shoulder and Elbow Surgery at Texas Orthopedic Hospital, performing a high volume of arthroscopic and open procedures, including nearly four hundred primary and revision shoulder replacements.

Smith joins our department as one of the only shoulder and elbow fellowship-trained physicians in the state of Alabama, bringing a unique edge to the training we offer our residents and fellows as well as the care we offer our patients.

We asked Smith more about his specialty, his new role with the department, and what drew him to continue his professional medical career at UAB:

You are joining the department with a specialty in Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. What is unique about this specialty? How will your training in this area be a benefit to serving patients?

Shoulder and elbow is a unique specialty because it focuses solely on the care of two joints. In a way, the field is very focused but also quite comprehensive with respect to the problems we encounter and the variety of procedures performed. It encompasses facets of arthroplasty (joint replacement), trauma, and sports medicine. All shoulder and elbow-trained surgeons complete an accredited fellowship through the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), which is a prestigious society of leading national and international orthopaedic surgeons who specialize in this domain. Receiving specialized training in this area is beneficial because it allows me the opportunity to serve and take care of patients of all ages and activity levels. 

Can you tell us more about your new role as a faculty member in the department’s Sports Medicine Section? Where will you be involved on the department side as well as the clinical side?

One of my roles is to support our athletic partners and sports medicine providers in any way that I can. We have a phenomenal sports and exercise medicine program, and I am excited and honored to be joining the team.

Another one of my major roles within the department will be educating residents and medical students. Additionally, I serve as faculty for the UAB Hand and Upper Extremity Fellowship.

On the clinical side, I treat a wide array of shoulder and elbow problems, including arthritis, tendon and ligament tears, and fractures. I perform primary and revision total shoulder replacements as well as arthroscopy.

What drew you to UAB and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery? How did completing your residency with the UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery impact this decision? 

I am incredibly thankful to have spent nearly a decade at UAB throughout my medical training. The culture within our department is truly familial, which makes for a very enjoyable work environment. Having had an excellent experience at UAB as a resident, this was a monumental factor in deciding to come back as faculty. As the department continues to grow and flourish, the opportunities for education, research, and clinical practice are unmatched.

In your role, what goals do you have for the department with your specialty in Shoulder and Elbow Surgery?

I have several departmental goals specific to my specialty. First, I would like to expand our outpatient shoulder arthroplasty efforts. Allowing certain patients to be discharged home the same day following shoulder replacement offers certain advantages and is often associated with higher rates of patient satisfaction. This can be performed in a hospital setting or an outpatient surgery center.

Second, I would like to continue to grow our research presence on a national scale. I am active in clinical research and have published in leading peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (JSES), the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (JAAOS), and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Surgery. I also currently serve as a journal reviewer for JSES and JAAOS. With our current research efforts and the abundance of resources at our disposal, I hope to increase our involvement in multi-center studies and high-level randomized clinical trials.

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Smith’s philosophy is “to treat patients like family and engage in a shared decision-making process to ensure that each patient’s goals are genuinely understood in order to achieve the best possible outcome.”

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery is thrilled to welcome Smith, his dedication to our department’s mission and vision, and his aligned approach to excellence in unmatched patient care.

Are you a patient interested in scheduling with Dr. Smith? Click here.