Smith Named Spectrum Health Medical Group Chief of Neurology

Spectrum Health Medical Group announced today that Brien J. Smith, MD, has been named chief of its neurology department.

“Brien Smith’s arrival is a truly significant step in the development of a high quality multispecialty medical group dedicated to excellence in patient care, research and education,” said James M. Tucci, MD, MMM, president, Spectrum Health Medical Group. “There are very few medical professionals of Dr. Smith’s caliber in the country. He is a nationally recognized epileptologist who has dedicated his professional life to realizing a vision which we share – providing top quality neurological services, adding to our store of medical knowledge, and training new generations of physicians.”

Dr. Smith comes to Spectrum Health from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit where he was both senior staff neurologist and the medical director for the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program.

Dr. Smith earned his bachelor’s degree at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI and his medical degree at Wayne State University in Detroit. During his residency in neurology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, he served as neurology chief resident. He completed his fellowship in Electroencephalography (EEG)/Epilepsy at Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis.

Dr. Smith is a well-known medical researcher and has been active in the American Epilepsy Society and the American Academy of Neurology, where he helped provide leadership. He is currently the board chair-elect of the Epilepsy Foundation of America.

The Spectrum Health Medical Group currently employs more than 500 physicians and mid-level providers, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan that offers a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, a collection of eight hospitals and more than 170 service sites; the Spectrum Health Medical Group, mmpc® and West Michigan Heart—physician groups totaling more than 500 providers; and Priority Health, a health plan with nearly 580,000 members. Spectrum Health’s 16,000 employees, 1,500 medical staff members and 2,000 volunteers are committed to delivering the highest quality care. The organization provided $79.4 million in community benefit during its 2009 fiscal year. In 2010, Spectrum Health was named a Top 10 Health System by Thomson Reuters.