Historic faculty hiring: Meet Daniel Smith

My research examines climate change’s effects on the health outcomes of marginalized populations. Think about the heat waves and hotter summers we’ve been experiencing — I’m studying how those higher heat conditions affect the health of people living and working in extreme heat, specifically focusing on kidney health. In addition to my faculty role, I’m also a nurse scientist for La Isla Network, a group of universities, researchers, government institutions and companies collaborating to address heat stress and other climate-driven risks.

There’s good evidence that people are developing chronic kidney disease because of heat exposure, but this work is mostly studied in rural workers. I’m the principal investigator of a National Institutes of Health grant that’s researching the association between heat waves and hospital admissions due to renal dysfunctions. We’re looking at urban neighborhood factors — for example, urban areas are typically 5-10 degrees hotter than rural areas, and they have higher building density — and connecting them to these hospitalizations.

I grew up on a dairy farm in North Carolina. Farmers are always worried about weather conditions — if it’s raining, too hot, too cold, too windy. That was my life, understanding the connection between humans and the environment.

Before I became a nurse, I earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte My biology work was in an environmental toxicology lab and how humans impacted the environment. I also spent time as a Spanish medical interpreter, which led me to become a nurse, where I came to understand that the environment also impacts human health.

I began my nursing career as a community health nurse and clinical instructor at Emory University, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in nursing, master’s degree in nursing research, post-master's certificate as an adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner, and PhD in nursing science. After that, I was the Weingarten Endowed Assistant Professor at Villanova University, where I focused on community-based work. I decided that I wanted the next step in my career to be at an R1 research institution, which led me to UB.

But it was more than just UB’s classification as an R1 institution that caught my attention. I was attracted to UB’s emphasis on climate change and was incredibly impressed by the university’s sustainability work. It’s important for me to be in an environment with like-minded people; not just a place that welcomes research, but an institution that cares about sustainability. That’s what pushed my decision to join UB over the edge.

I’ve been really impressed by UB’s community engagement. Not every institution — especially those the size of UB — emphasizes community health equity research. UB has a Community Health Equity Research Institute, for example, that I want to work more with. As a researcher who is not only trained as a data scientist, but with a background in community-based participatory action research, it’s important to me that there are community partners outside of UB’s academic community. That’s what makes UB special.

I’ve only been here for a few months, so I haven’t been able to interact with students much. I can say that the mentorship from senior faculty, especially those in the School of Nursing, has been particularly strong. On multiple occasions, I’ve sat down with Dean Annette Wysocki and school leadership and asked questions or presented issues — and they’ve welcomed me with guidance and perspective. That’s really beneficial to me as I continue down the tenure track.

I also love that UB is such a diverse and strong public institution. There are so many opportunities for students or faculty to be exposed to different ideas, do interdisciplinary research or collaborate across campus. There’s a lot of good happening here and I want to be a part of telling that story.

It’s exciting to be joining UB right now! It can be hard coming into a new institution as a lone faculty member. It’s great to know that I’m a part of a cohort of new faculty all relocating to Buffalo, learning about the university and experiencing the region. I’m not even the only new assistant professor in nursing, which is great. It makes me feel proud that our teaching and scholarship have been recognized by the university.

I moved here from Pennsylvania earlier in July. I’ve really enjoyed exploring the outdoors and biking the Empire State Trail. I’ve never lived so close to a large body of water. Plus, as someone who grew up on a dairy farm, I’ve really enjoyed purchasing fresh food from the farmer’s markets to cook meals at home. Next up, I plan to explore the Eternal Flame (in Chestnut Ridge Park in Orchard Park).

As a community-engaged researcher, it’s important to me that those coming to Buffalo aren’t detracting from residents currently living here, but helping the community experience a resurgence through a health-equity lens. I hope to use my teaching and research resources and experiences to support those efforts.