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About Dr. Smith

Christopher (Chris) M. Smith, PhD, MSN, RN, GCQM is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at Charlotte’s College of Health and Human Services. Dr. Smith earned a PhD in Nursing Science from East Carolina University (ECU). His Ph.D. dissertation included a rigorous systematic review which served as the foundation for scale development using a confirmatory factor analysis approach – both endeavors are published. During Dr. Smith’s doctoral studies, he earned a post-master’s certificate in Quantitative Methods for Social and Behavioral Sciences through ECU’s Department of Psychology, where he cultivated interests in psychometrics and latent variable modeling. 

Educational Background

Methodological Interests

Dr. Smith’s methodological interests are primarily quantitative, multivariate, based in the regression tradition, and include psychometrics, structural equation modeling, latent variable modeling, linear mixed models, hierarchical models, and mediation/moderation/conditional processes. He also appreciates mixed methods and has experience with qualitative methodology including interpretive description and phenomenology as well as systematic review methods.

Primary Research Interest

Cardiometabolic health in rural populations with a focused interest in metabolic and inflammatory mechanisms that drive cardiovascular and blood pressure outcomes. Specifically, Dr. Smith’s research explores metabolomics, lipidomics, and proteomics to better understand the pathways that influence cardiometabolic health. Within this framework, Dr. Smith is particularly interested in biobehavioral relationships that support pillars of cardiometabolic health — nutrition, sleep hygiene, physical activity, and psychological wellness — and serve as critical targets for preventing and managing disease. This includes investigating strategies aimed at optimizing cardiometabolic pillars, including low-insulinogenic nutritional models, increased physical activity, pre-sleep optimization practices, and mindfulness and contemplative meditative practices. Broadly, Dr. Smith’s research emphasizes functional non-pharmacological strategies to prevent and detect illness and manage disease progression, promote person-centered care, and advance health equity and healthcare access in rural populations to improve cardiometabolic health outcomes.

Dr. Smith’s primary research interest expands to exploring the long-term impact of childhood abuse trauma on cardiometabolic health and how classical serotonergic psychedelics, such as LSD and psilocybin, may be leveraged to facilitate trauma processing. This approach constitutes a novel method for indirectly addressing unhealthy behaviors that stem from the residual effects of childhood abuse trauma and is aimed at improving cardiometabolic health outcomes.

Secondary Interest

Dr. Smith’s secondary interest includes men’s experiences and involvement in professional nursing including classroom and learning, academic faculty, and clinical workforce environments for men in nursing; men’s unique needs and contributions to nursing; stereotypes and prejudices toward men related to social and role expectations; challenging stigmas associated with being a male nurse.

Collaboration

Dr. Smith is currently seeking collaborators.

Dr. Smith is passionate about interdisciplinary approaches to research and works well with others. He has been awarded two Sigma Theta Tau grants, and an Academy of Medical Sciences grant to support his research. Dr. Smith has disseminated his research via publications and conference presentations.

Select Publications

Google Scholar

Smith, C. M., Bowler, M. C., & Horne, C. E. (2024). Beyond men’s experiences: Scale development and psychometric testing of the fitness in nursing scale – men (FiNS-M©). Journal of Nursing Measurement, 32(3), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1891/JNM-2023-0032

Smith, C. M., & Horne, C. E. (2024). Educational and professional experiences of men in nursing: An interpretive description study to guide change and foster inclusive environments for men in nursing. Journal of Professional Nursing, 53, 123-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2024.05.008

Smith, C. M., Horne, C. E., & Wei, H. (2024). Nursing practice in modern healthcare environments: A systematic review of attributes, characteristics, and demonstrations. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 80(9), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.16088

Horne, C. E., Stayt, C., Schutz, S., Smith, C. M., Haberstroh, A., Bolin, L. P., Taylor, C. L., Moosavi, S. H., & Bibbey, A. (2023). Symptom experiences in hypertension: A mixed methods systematic review. Journal of Hypertension, 41(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0000000000003306

Wei, H., Horns, P., Sears, S. F., Huang, K., Smith, C. M., & Wei, T. L. (2022). A systematic meta-review of systematic reviews about interprofessional collaboration: Facilitators, barriers, and outcomes. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 36(5), 735-749. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2021.1973975

Smith, C. M., Lane, S. H., Brackney, D. E., & Horne, C. E. (2020). Role definitions and work relations experienced by men in nursing: A qualitative study through an interpretative description lens. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76(5), 1211-1220. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14330

Spare Time

Dr. Smith’s extracurricular interests include scientific writing and studying logic, philosophy (including Hellenistic varieties, Humeanism, skepticism, and causal determinism), Hatha yoga, nondual contemplative meditative philosophies (Buddhist: Dzogchen, Vipassana, Zen and Hindu: Advaita Vedanta, sādhanās, respectively), psychonautics, spirituality, and the evolution of human consciousness. Dr. Smith is active in the psychedelic science community and passionate about legislative reform aimed at re/descheduling classical psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, mescaline & DMT), as well as harm reduction strategies, education, and safe use of psychedelics as pathways toward holotropism and psychological and spiritual wellness.

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