Associate Professor
Dr. Megan L. Smith is an Associate Professor in the School of Public and Population Health. Dr. Smith received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from the College of Education and Human Services at West Virginia University in 2015. She has a teaching degree from California State University Chico (2008) and a BA in Psychology (with an emphasis on diverse populations and education) from University of California, Santa Cruz (2006). Dr. Smith’s work builds on education, human development, and public health science to study the contextual factors that promote or thwart health outcomes (particularly substance abuse, mental health, and sexual risk behavior) for young people. Previously a K-12 teacher, she often focuses on the school environment. She is the founding director for Communities for Youth, an Idaho-based initiative working to increase community capacity for upstream prevention of youth depression and suicide using data-driven, community engaged strategies.
Previously, she served as Director of Child & Adolescent Health initiatives for the West Virginia University Prevention Research Center. She is proud to be a member of the internationally acclaimed Icelandic Prevention Model team to promote the notion that true prevention is possible if you start at the community level and change the culture of health. She is committed to public health advocacy and deeply believes it is the mission of public health professionals to continue to advocate for and champion equity and health for all.
Contact Information
Office:Â HSRV 102
Phone:Â (208) 426-3335
Email:Â mlsmith@boisestate.edu