Kendra L. Smith, Ph.D., MPH
Kendra L. Smith, Ph. D., owns Smith Research & Consulting (SRC), a full-service research, evaluation, and strategy firm specializing in community health and health equity. At SRC, we are committed to providing excellent, customized services to aid our clients in their journey to improve their community and society. We are committed to using community-engaged approaches to build community power, partnership, capacity, and trust. We work alongside our clients to provide tools to promote equity, transformation, and health.
Dr. Smith works nationally with clients on projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, CDC, PCORI, HRSA, and several private funders. Her research has been published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal, Frontiers in Public Health; Stanford Social Innovation Review; Scientific American; the American Planning Association’s magazine, Planning; Governing; EduCause; and Public Sector Digest. She also takes pride in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students each year.
In March 2021, Dr. Smith ended her tenure as the director for community engagement at the University of Houston College of Medicine to lead Smith Research & Consulting, LLC full-time. In her role at the College of Medicine, Dr. Smith designed programs and collaborative partnerships to improve health and healthcare systems through medical education and deep engagement in various Houston communities.
Before this, Dr. Smith was the community engagement and research associate director at Stanford University within the Center for Population Health Sciences. She co-led several initiatives at Stanford University, including the community engagement cores of the Stanford Center for Clinical and Translational Research and Education and the Stanford Cancer Institute. Previously, she served as a policy analyst at the Morrison Institute for Public Policy and research fellow at the Center for Urban Innovation, both at Arizona State University.
Dr. Smith earned a Ph.D. in Community Resources & Development from Arizona State University, a Master of Public Administration and Public Health from the University of Oklahoma, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communication from the University of Central Oklahoma.
TEAM MEMBERS
ASHLEY DUNN, MPH
SENIOR RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
(SHE/HER/HERS)
Area of Expertise: Program Design and Evaluation, Community Partnership Building, Strategic Planning, Translational Health Sciences
With a focus on strategy and programmatic development, Ashley Dunn, MPH, advances the translation of biomedical discoveries into interventions that improve health for mission-oriented organizations. As a collaborative team member, she works closely with stakeholders to design and evaluate innovative approaches to deliver programs that provide measurable and impactful outcomes. Ashley is passionate about developing impactful solutions for increasing diversity in clinical trials and across the biomedical workforce. She also promotes research rigor and reproducibility principles by developing education and training aimed at ensuring high-quality research. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from SCU and her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Southern California.
ZAINAB SHIPCHANDLER, MPH, MCHES
RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
(SHE/HER/HERS)
Area of Expertise: Health Literacy, Maternal and Child Health, Qualitative data analysis
Zainab Shipchandler, MPH, MCHES is a Public Health Consultant at ZRF Group Inc. Her company partners with healthcare and community-based organizations to promote health literacy and public health best practices through research, training, and strategic planning. Zainab’s projects include collaborating with Smith Research & Consulting LLC and the Center for Urban Transformation to conduct a mixed-methods community-driven health assessment for the Fifth Ward in Houston. Zainab is interested in developing connections across sectors and utilizing data-driven approaches to advance health equity for minority populations. She holds an MPH degree in Health Promotion from the University of Texas School of Public Health and a BA in Asian Studies from Rice University.