Brian R. Smith

Biography

Brian R. Smith, M.D., is Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Surgery, General Surgery Residency Program Director, and MIS Fellowship Co-Director in the Division of GI Surgery at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. He also serves as Chief of Surgical Services at VA Long Beach Healthcare System and VISN 22 Chief Surgical Consultant for the VA Desert Pacific Healthcare Network. Smith received his M.D. from Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in 1999, completed his general surgery residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and completed a fellowship in laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgery at UC Irvine Medical Center.

Smith has served in multiple administrative leadership roles within the VA system, including two terms as Acting Chief Medical Officer for the VA Desert Pacific Healthcare Network, where he oversaw medical care for approximately 600,000 Veterans with an operating budget exceeding $5 billion. His clinical expertise encompasses minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery, bariatric surgery, and esophageal cancer surgery. He has contributed to the surgical literature with over 120 peer-reviewed publications and 20 textbook chapters on topics including gastric cancer, bariatric surgery, minimally invasive techniques, and surgical education.

Smith has received numerous teaching awards throughout his career, including multiple John E. Connolly Awards for resident teaching and Golden Scalpel Awards for medical student teaching at UC Irvine. He has been recognized as Physician of Excellence by the Orange County Medical Association annually from 2012 to 2025. Smith serves on multiple national committees, including the National Board of Medical Examiners Computer-based Case Simulation Committee, and has held leadership positions in the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, and Southern California Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, where he served as President in 2023.

Education

• B.S. in Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1995
• M.D., Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, 1999

Distinctions

• Top Reviewer, JAMA Surgery, 2023
• Fellow, American Foregut Society, 2025
• Health Policy Scholarship, American College of Surgeons, 2011
• Top Scholar in Laparoscopy, ScholarGPS, 2024
• Fellow, American College of Surgeons, 2010
• John E. Connolly Award for Resident Teaching, Department of Surgery, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, 2009-2011, 2013, 2015
• Dr. Brian Smith Mentorship Award, University of California Irvine School of Medicine, 2019
• Golden Scalpel Award for Medical Student Teaching, Department of Surgery, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, 2009-2011, 2015-2016
• Excellence in Teaching Award, University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, 2010
• Golden Apple Award for Medical Student Teaching, University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, 2012