{"id":70463,"date":"2026-04-14T15:24:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/?p=70463"},"modified":"2026-04-14T15:26:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:26:58","slug":"in-memoriam-dr-sarah-smithson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/news\/in-memoriam-dr-sarah-smithson\/","title":{"rendered":"In Memoriam: Dr. Sarah Smithson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Darren DeWalt, chair of the UNC Department of Medicine, shared the following message on the passing of Dr. Sarah Smithson.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Dear Colleagues,<\/p>\n

It is with great sadness that I write to share the news that Dr. Sarah Smithson passed away unexpectedly earlier this week after a brief, serious illness.<\/p>\n

Sarah was a deeply loved primary care physician and a valued member of the Department of Medicine for many years in the Division of General Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology. She served our institution in multiple leadership roles, including as Assistant Dean for Clinical Education and as the inaugural Director of Interprofessional Education and Practice at the School of Medicine, where she helped shape collaborative education across the health professions.<\/p>\n

Sarah also helped to found the Relational Leadership Institute at UNC and was a true national leader in the field of relational leadership. This work reflected her enduring commitment to human connection, growth, and leading with authenticity and compassion. In 2022, she stepped away from clinical medicine to dedicate herself fully to this mission, founding a company focused on spreading the principles of relational leadership.<\/p>\n

Her passing is a profound loss to our department, our institution, and the broader community she served. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, colleagues, students, and patients, all of whom were touched by her generosity of spirit and extraordinary leadership. Further information will be shared as it becomes available.<\/p>\n

The obituary for Dr. Sarah Smithson is below and includes visitation and funeral arrangements. I know this is a difficult time for all who had the privilege of knowing and working with her.<\/p>\n

Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Howard Smithson Obituary<\/a><\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/p>\n

Darren A. DeWalt, MD, MPH
\nJohn R. and Helen B. Chambliss Distinguished Professor
\nChair, Department of Medicine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Darren DeWalt, chair of the UNC Department of Medicine, shared the following message on the passing of Dr. Sarah Smithson.\u00a0 Dear Colleagues, It is with great sadness that I write to share the news that Dr. Sarah Smithson passed away unexpectedly earlier this week after a brief, serious illness. Sarah was a deeply loved … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112673,"featured_media":3663,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[693],"class_list":["post-70463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-693","odd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIn Memoriam: Dr. Sarah Smithson | Department of Medicine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/news\/in-memoriam-dr-sarah-smithson\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In Memoriam: Dr. Sarah Smithson | Department of Medicine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dr. Darren DeWalt, chair of the UNC Department of Medicine, shared the following message on the passing of Dr. Sarah Smithson.\u00a0 Dear Colleagues, It is with great sadness that I write to share the news that Dr. Sarah Smithson passed away unexpectedly earlier this week after a brief, serious illness. 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