We are heartbroken to report that Jan D. Smith MBChB, FRCP, FACP, DTM&H, Clinical Professor, Clinician Emeritus, and probably the longest serving member of our department, passed away on Friday, September 6, 2019. Dr. Smith’s contributions to the education of hundreds of residents and fellows, junior and senior faculty, and most especially as a mentor and former Vice-Chair, has resulted in his being held in the highest esteem and regard by both the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine and the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC. He had probably worked clinically at more sites/hospitals covered by our department than any present or past faculty member. Dr. Smith provided clinical services to hospitals all over the world and his pioneering work in the field of pulmonary critical care was instrumental in helping further enhance and develop pulmonary medicine in Pittsburgh.
Dr. Jan Daniel Smith was born February 6, 1939 in Pretoria, South Africa. In 1955, he completed his schooling at Pretoria Boys’ High School and in 1956, was accepted to the University of Pretoria School of Medicine (a six-year program, per the British educational system), where he graduated with his MBChB in 1961. His internship was completed at McCord Hospital, Durban, an American Mission Hospital in South Africa, during the “apartheid” era when South Africa was segregated. Fortunately, the hospital administration did not adhere to that practice, so Dr. Smith was the only white intern in the 1961/2 group of 10 and remained grateful for that multicultural experience throughout his lifetime.
After completing additional training in pediatrics, internal medicine, and anesthesia in Durban at Addington and King Edward VIII Hospitals, in 1964 Jan was accepted into the anesthesiology residency program at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Boston, headed by Dr. Leroy D. Vandam. Upon completing his residency and with Dr. Vandam’s encouragement, Dr. Smith moved to Pittsburgh, where Dr. Peter Safar, our department’s founding chair and also a Vandam trainee, had just started a multidisciplinary critical care medicine training program. Jan completed a critical care fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh from 1966- 1968, during which time he cared for the late former Pennsylvania Governor David Lawrence. He also completed a pulmonary fellowship in Pittsburgh under Eugene D. Robin, MD.
In 1969, Jan returned to South Africa and commenced his internal medicine training at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town (University of Cape Town School of Medicine). With an offer to return to Pittsburgh in 1971, Dr. Smith completed his internal medicine training at the University of Pittsburgh, and then joined the faculty of our department under Dr. Safar’s leadership.
In 1974, Dr. Smith moved to the University of Iowa College of Medicine, where he joined the Pulmonary Division. In 1976, he was recruited to the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, first as a pulmonologist and later assuming joint clinical appointments in both anesthesiology and internal medicine. In 1983, Jan was appointed Chairman of Anesthesiology at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, a position he held until 1985 before moving to Canton, Ohio, joining former colleagues at the Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine.
In 1987, he returned to our department. In 1988, he was appointed Chief of Anesthesiology at UPMC Presbyterian, a position he held until 1996. Jan eared a Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (DTM&H) from the Royal College of Physicians in 1994. With the expansion of UPMC, he was asked to assume the role of Chief of Anesthesiology and Medical Director at UPMC Beaver Valley, a position he held until 2000 when he moved to Europe to help with the development of ISMETT, UPMC’s successful transplant and major surgical center in Sicily. In 2002, he returned to Pittsburgh and rejoined our department as Vice Chair for Clinical Operations. He continued in this position until his retirement in 2006, as Professor of Anesthesiology, Internal Medicine, and Critical Care Medicine.
Dr. Smith continued to maintain a part-time appointment in our department, continuing volunteer teaching appointments in Tanzania and South Africa. In 2009, he was asked to assist with the further development of UPMC Beacon Hospital in Dublin, Ireland as Associate Medical Director. He continued to do volunteer work in Sub-Saharan Africa and was appointed an Extraordinary Professor of Medicine at the University Pretoria School of Medicine. The Allegheny County Medical Society honored him with their Award for Volunteer Work and recognized his 50 years as a physician in 2011. In 2013, our Education Office named and dedicated a classroom in his honor. After such a long and accomplished career in our department, Jan played a critical role in developing our alumni outreach efforts and writing and recording the history of our department.
Dr. Smith is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Jeanette Niemeyer Smith, and three children, Robert (Kathy Van Stone), Andrew (Sandra Espinosa), and Anita (Dr. Andrew Murray) and nine adored grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 28, 2019 at 11:00 am at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1066 Washington Rd., Mt. Lebanon, PA 15228 to celebrate Dr. Smith’s life. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Baptist Homes Foundation, 500 Providence Point Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15243 or the Salvation Army.
On September 19, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published a feature article on Dr. Smith's remarkable legacy.