UNIVERSITY TRACK RESIDENT
Hi guys, I’m Will Smith! While Bel-Aire would’ve been cool, I was born and raised in the Central Ohio area, to immigrant parents from Monrovia, Liberia. My Dad, a science teacher and adjunct professor, instilled in me an early love for learning and pushing myself to do hard things, especially for the benefit of those around me. The importance of ” Taking Care of Your Village ” was emphasized across my childhood, proving invaluable when my family went through significant adversity often. This, combined with a genuine desire to give back to my community and empower others with knowledge and science eventually lead me to becoming a physician.
I went to the University of Notre Dame for undergrad (Go Irish!), where I studied Neuroscience and Behavior. In college I was a student athletic trainer working with football, men’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. One of my favorite experiences was working with the Robinson Community Learning Center, running quality based research aimed to instill self-efficacy and emotional regulation by teaching kids about their brains with basic neuroscience topics in age-appropriate ways.
I took a gap year working as a pharmacy technician prior to my matriculation to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. In medical school I was able to continue my passion for service and servant leadership through SNMA and it’s volunteer opportunities, helping to run group therapy sessions for teenage boys alongside a licensed social worker at the lighthouse youth service, as well as running diaper drives and organizing the on campus food pantry for students and staff with young children or otherwise undergoing financial crisis.
I came to UNC for the incredible family medicine training, but it did not hurt that the food and weather was better than Midwest. What’s surprised me and inspired me since my arrival is the passion, empathy, and cooperative spirit of the students, residents, attendings and staff I have had the joy of working with. Everybody here cares about what we do and why we do it, and when the challenges of learning how to doctor pile up as they do, that sense of purpose helps me push through like my father taught me to and do my best to learn so that I can help others.
