In Memoriam: Karen Smith.
Karen Smith, executive director of administration in the Department of Community Health Sciences, passed away in an accident on February 13.
Smith joined SPH and the then-newly-formed department in 2011, and distinguished herself in innumerable ways over the past decade, marked deservedly by her receipt of the school-wide Dzidra J. Knecht Award for Distinguished Staff Service in 2017.
Her time in Community Health Sciences spanned three department chairs, working with each new leader to organize and reinvigorate the department—while showing them the ropes. “She did so with grace, respect, and a deferential but firm way of teaching me how things worked, letting me try to find my way but jumping in before I made any major blunders,” recalls Richard Saitz, who has been chair since 2013.
Every day, Smith demonstrated excellence and skill in her work, Saitz says, but there was more: “Karen cared a great deal about BUSPH, its mission, and its students.” She actively sought and supported development for her fellow staff members, including advocating for staff to be authors on published papers when appropriate, and for staff to receive time to attend school events. She was a dedicated support and guide for faculty, including helping newer (and sometimes not so new) faculty navigate unfamiliar forms and processes with patience, making the burden as minimal as she could. And she was committed to the students at SPH, including going out of her way to make financial support processes as fast and easy as possible, and encouraging faculty to be present for students outside of the classroom.
“It has been a privilege to get to know Karen and her family over the past five-plus years that I have been at the school,” says Dean Sandro Galea. “I have come to trust and respect Karen’s judgment, seeing her as one of the core group of central staff who are the bedrock of all we do as an institution. Simply put, the work of the school in many aspects would not have been possible without Karen’s engagement over the past many years.”
“Karen cared about and for the people she worked with,” Saitz says. “Her door is covered with pictures of our families and children, and she befriended faculty and staff alike, always asking them about special events and important moments and people in their lives. I will miss her greatly.”
The school held a memorial in Hiebert Lounge on Monday, February 24, at 4:30 pm.
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