Bio

Dr. Cristina Reyes Smith is an Associate Professor and Director of Admissions in the College of Health Professions (CHP) Division of Occupational Therapy at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).  Dr. Smith was named in the "Top 50 Women Leaders of South Carolina" by Women We Admire and has served in multiple national leadership roles including recently on the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Board of Directors as a Director (2020 to 2023) and on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Occupational Therapy Education (JOTE) (2020 to present).  She is a Co-Founder of the Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD), a national 501c-3 organization (2013 to present).  In 2022, Dr. Smith was invited to serve on the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) Standing for Research Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (STRIDE) Committee.  

Dr. Smith now serves as the Chair of the College of Health Professions Faculty Assembly (2023 to present).  She recently served as the Chair of the MUSC Faculty Senate Institutional Advancement Committee (2021 to 2023) and currently serves as the Co-Director of the HRSA-MUSC Occupational Therapy Scholarship program (2020 to present).  She also coordinated multiple annual events in the past through the university including the MUSC Culturally Sensitive Care Program (2018 to 2023), the MUSC Septima P. Clark Poetry Contest (2018 to 2023) celebrating the poetic achievement of children and youth across the state of South Carolina, and the OT Track of the Area Health Education Consortium (AHEC) Summer Careers Academy (2014 to present) for prospective health professions students from under-represented backgrounds. She teaches multiple courses on Leadership & Management, advises multiple student organizations including Aprendiendo Juntos/Learning Together as Founding Advisor (2018 to present) and the MUSC COTAD Student Chapter Founding Advisor (2020 to present), and mentors doctoral capstone project students in the Entry-Level and Post-Professional OTD programs.  She was the Founder and Business Development Coordinator for Vida Bella Services, LLC from 2012 to 2020, a pediatric agency providing early intervention and outpatient occupational therapy and physical therapy with a focus on access to quality care for underserved communities throughout the greater Charleston and surrounding communities including those with language barriers, rural communities, and lower income families.

Dr. Smith is a graduate of the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program at Thomas Jefferson University and the Masters in Occupational Therapy program at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Through these programs she completed additional coursework in Cultural Competence & Humility, Disabilities Studies, Global Health, and Graduate Teaching in the 21st Century.  She was a participant of the 2021 MUSC Emerging Leaders Program, the 2012 AOTA Emerging Leaders Program, and the 2005-2006 MUSC Presidential Scholars Program as a Student Scholar.  She has over 15 years of experience in the field and has expertise in community health promotion, program development, and leadership development with a focus on access to care for underserved communities.  She has conducted presentations and published manuscripts locally, nationally, and internationally.  Topics have included holistic admissions, workforce diversity, cultural competence and sensitivity, program development, emerging areas of practice, and related themes.