Professor Judith Smith

• PhD in Health Services Management, University of Birmingham, 2009
• MBA in Business Administration, Open University Business School, 1999
• Diploma in Health Services Management, Institute of Health Services Management, 1990
• BA (Hons) in French Language and Literature, University of Birmingham, 1987

Prior to taking up her role as Professor of Health Policy and Management at HSMC in 2015 Judith spent six years as Director of Policy at the Nuffield Trust - an independent charitable research foundation based in London.

From 2007-2009 Judith was based in Aotearoa New Zealand working as Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Health Services Research Centre in the Victoria University of Wellington and (from 2008-2009) as Senior Policy Fellow in the New Zealand Ministry of Health.

From 2000 to 2024 Judith was Deputy Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research's Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme.

She has previously served as a Non-Executive Director of the Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust (2014-2022) and South Birmingham Primary Care Trust (2002-2004) and was a board member of the European Health Management Association (2004-2006). In 2013, Judith was appointed Chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Commission on Future Models of Care. 

From 2024-2025, Judith acted as an expert witness to the Thirlwall Public Inquiry, preparing written and oral evidence on matters of NHS organisation, management and governance. From 2010-2013 she served as Expert Adviser to the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry and then as an Assessor of the Inquiry's recommendations.  In 2001, she prepared expert evidence (with Professor Chris Ham) on health services management for the Bristol Public Inquiry into paediatric surgery.

Judith contributes teaching sessions to the Healthcare Policy and Management MSc Programme, and the Global Health Policy module of the MA in Global Public Policy.

Judith maintains an active portfolio of research projects, funded by a range of national and local bodies, all focused on how the organisation and delivery of health services might be further improved.  Current and recent projects include:  

• A rapid evaluation of approaches to general practice quality improvement focused on patient access for the NIHR BRACE Rapid Evaluation Centre (2024-2025)
• Portfolio review of rapid evaluation practice and methodology for the National Institute for Health and Care Research (2023)
• Principal investigator for a portfolio analysis study of the full set of phase 1 BRACE rapid evaluations, exploring their focus on and implications for people living with multiple long-term conditions (2019-2023)
•  A study of the use of remote outpatient consultations in NHS trusts during the COVID-19 pandemic (for Birmingham Health Partners).
• A rapid evaluation of the implementation of Primary Care Networks in the NHS in England (for the NIHR BRACE Rapid Evaluation Centre) 

A study of the narrative accounts of GPs working through the COVID-19 pandemic (with the University of Aberdeen and the Health foundation).

Judith is a member of the following: 

• Health Services Research UK, as Trustee and Chair
• Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand
• The Society of Authors 
• European Health Policy Group

Judith is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine

She is Trustee and Director of Ex Cathedra Choir, Education and Participation