Faculty profile

Steven Smith

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Associate ProfessorPediatricsMcMaster University

Research

Steven Smith, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM is a pediatric palliative care physician at McMaster Children's Hospital, joining the team in 2026. Prior to joining the team he served as a palliative care pediatrician at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus Ohio for close to 9 years. There he served medical director for the Hospice and Home-Based Palliative Care Program in addition to staffing the inpatient consultative palliative care team. Dr. Smith graduated from Mercer University School of Medicine and completed residency in pediatrics and fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. They are board certified in Pediatrics and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Their passions include caring for children with medical complexity and home-based palliative care and hospice.  Dr. Smith has contributed to research related to populations recieveing home-based palliative care and the impact of this has on healthcare outcomes and utilization. Nationally, Dr. Smith has participated in committees through the Alliance for Care at Home as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics, Section on Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He has contributed to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Pediatrics Review and Education Program (PREP) in developing pediatric palliative care educational material and contributed to developing the 2023 edition of the NHPCO Pediatric Facts and Figures. Dr. Smith grew up in the southern US and moved to Ohio for training and then practiced there from 2017-2026. He immigrated to Canada in 2026 joining the pediatric palliative care team and has enjoyed getting to explore a new country! Dr. Smith lives with their wife and two daughters (and dog) in Ancaster and enjoys playing overly complex board games and exploring nature when off work.

Research areas, by share of publications

Research areas are derived from OpenAlex topics of their publications.

13 publications.

01

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Pediatric Facts and Figures: 2023 Edition

Fisher D, Hawley B, James K, Lindley L, Samson K, Smith S, Torkildson C, Weaver M

02

Community-Based Provider Concerns About Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care

Weaver MS, Chana T, Fisher D, Hawley B, Lindley LC, Smith SM, Ware A, Torkildson C

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management20266 citations
03

The State of Pediatric Concurrent Hospice Care in the United States.

Weaver MS, Smith SM, Torkildson C, Fisher D, Hawley B, Ware A, Davis H, Williams CSP, Lindley LC

Pediatrics20257 citations
04

Pulse Check: Status Update on Pediatric Palliative and Hospice Community-Based Coverage

Weaver MS, Ware A, Fisher D, Hawley B, Davis H, Lindley LC, Smith SM, Williams CSP, Chana T, Torkildson C

Journal of Palliative Medicine20254 citations
05

“I Used to Feel my Child Was...the Property of the Hospital”: An Examination of an Ethic of Care for Pediatric Home-Based Hospice and Palliative Care

Aultman JM, Gilliland MF, Bish BM, Smith S, Friebert S, Grossoehme DH

Journal of Palliative Medicine2025
06

Pediatric Home-Based Palliative Care and Hospice: Characterizing and Comparing the Populations

Reader B, Kitio SAY, Smith SM

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management2025Senior author
07

Home-Based Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care Provider Visits: Effects on Healthcare Utilization

Smith SM, Grossoehme DH, Cicozi K, Hiltunen A, Roth C, Richner G, Kim SS, Tram NK, Friebert S

Journal of Pediatrics20244 citationsFirst author
08

State of the Service: Pediatric Palliative and Hospice Community-Based Service Coverage in the United States

Weaver MS, Chana T, Fisher D, Fost H, Hawley B, James K, Lindley LC, Samson K, Smith SM, Ware A

Journal of Palliative Medicine202326 citations
09

“It’s a Different Conversation”: Qualitative Analysis of Pediatric Home-based Hospice/Palliative Care Visits’ Perceived Value

Grossoehme DH, Sellers J, Accordino S, Smith SM, Jenkins R, Richner G, Moore-Forbes Y, Friebert S

Pediatric Quality & Safety20234 citations
10

Simultaneous Home-Based Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care: Characterizing the Population

Grossoehme DH, Smith S, Cicozi K, Jenkins R, Richner G, Hiltunen A, Friebert S

Journal of Palliative Medicine20233 citations

Roles and appointments

  • Pediatric Palliative Care Physician, Quality of Life and Advance Care Program, Hamilton Health Sciences
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Subject: Prospective PhD student: Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues Dear Professor Smith, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Pediatric Facts and Figures: 2023 Edition", and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]
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