Richard V. Smith, MD, Fellow American College of Surgeons

Richard V. Smith, MD, FACS, is Chair, Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Professor, Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Professor, Surgery and Professor, Pathology at Montefiore Einstein. Dr. Smith’s clinical focus is on head and neck surgery, including transoral robotic and laser surgery for throat and larynx cancer, salivary gland, thyroid and parathyroid surgery.

After obtaining his Bachelor of Arts in 1984 at Middlebury College, Dr. Smith received his Doctor of Medicine at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in 1990. He completed an internship in surgery in 1991, followed by a residency in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Georgetown University Hospital, completed in 1995.

Dr. Smith's research focuses on genetic changes (and how these affect treatment), quality of life issues in head and neck cancer and surgical education and simulation. He is actively involved in numerous research projects studying cancers of the head and neck. His research focuses on identifying genetic and biological aspects of such cancers that correlate with a patient’s prognosis. His goal is to help determine the optimal treatment for an individual patient, to maximize their chance of cure and minimize treatment-related side effects. In addition, his clinical investigation has focused on developing new techniques in transoral surgery, a less invasive form of surgery through which the surgeon gains access through the mouth. At the same time, he seeks to assess the quality of life benefits for such treatments. His work has been published in numerous journals, books, and reviews, and presented internationally at lectures and meetings.

Dr. Smith is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and a member of many organizations, including the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American College of Surgeons and the American Head and Neck Society. He also served as president of the New York Head and Neck Society and president of the New York Laryngological Society. He is also focused on Continuing Professional Development and was the Education Coordinator for the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery from 2015-2019.

From 2009 to 2022, Dr. Smith has been listed as one of New York's Best Doctors in New York Magazine, and from 2010 to 2022 he has been listed on New York Times Magazine's list of Super Doctors. He received the Children's Humanitarian Award from the Children's Tumor Foundation in 2007, has received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in 2010 and 2020, a Presidential Citation from the American Head and Neck Society in 2011 and the Academic Achievement Award from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in 2015. In 2021 the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery honored Dr. Smith with their Board of Governors’ Practitioner Excellence Award, which recognizes an otolaryngologist that others wish to emulate and who is sought out by other physicians because of their personal and effective care.