Biography and education
Dr. Tracey Smith is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Associate Professor at Texas State University, where she also serves as Director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program. With over two decades of clinical and academic experience, Dr. Smith is dedicated to advancing nursing practice through evidence-based education, leadership development, and community engagement.
Her teaching focuses on health policy, population health, translational sciences, and advanced practice nursing, and she has played a key role in developing the curriculum for the MSN and DNP nursing programs. Dr. Smith is a passionate advocate for inclusive and equitable care, actively involved in mentoring students and faculty alike. She also serves as the University Ambassador for Texas Nurse Practitioners and Counselor for the Sigma Chi Psi Chapter, reflecting her commitment to professional service and leadership. Outside of her professional work, Dr. Smith enjoys hiking and camping with her family and appreciates the value of a good nap.
Her teaching focuses on health policy, population health, translational sciences, and advanced practice nursing, and she has played a key role in developing the curriculum for the MSN and DNP nursing programs. Dr. Smith is a passionate advocate for inclusive and equitable care, actively involved in mentoring students and faculty alike. She also serves as the University Ambassador for Texas Nurse Practitioners and Counselor for the Sigma Chi Psi Chapter, reflecting her commitment to professional service and leadership. Outside of her professional work, Dr. Smith enjoys hiking and camping with her family and appreciates the value of a good nap.
Research Interests
Featured scholarly/creative works
- Page, T. L., & Cambell, L. A. (2021). Gender-Affirming Health Care. Retrieved from https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.texasnurses.org/resource/resmgr/docs/gac/2021/gender-affirming_care.pdf
- Smith, T. L. (2020). Pain. In Introduction to Medical-Surgical Nursing, 7th Edition. St. Louis, Mo, United States: Elsevier.
- Sickora, C., Salt, R., Smith, T. L., Lee, W., Cantu, A., Martinez, M., & Byrd, D. (2020). Evolution of experiential learning opportunities for nursing students after natural disaster. Journal of Nursing Education, 59(1), 30–34. https://doi.org/doi:10.3928/01484834-20191223-07
- Salt, R., Sickora, C., Smith, T. L., Martinez, M., Cantu, A., Schwab, K., & Lee, W. (2019). “We didn’t forget” Utilizing a community-nurse partnership to promote health in Rockport Texas after Hurricane Harvey. Public Health Nursing, 37(1). https://doi.org/doi:10.1111/phn.12684
- Smith, T. L., & Campbell, L. (2014). Public-private partnerships: Multidisciplinary plans to reduce child and adolescent obesity. Texas Public Health Association Journal, 66(4), 23–25. Retrieved from https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.texaspha.org/resource/resmgr/docs/Journal_Files/TPHJ_Volume_66_Issue_4.pdf
Featured awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: Paw Print Award, Nursing Faculty Student Governance. November 2024
- Award / Honor Recipient: Top of the Class Award, Texas Nurse Practitioners. September 8, 2024 - September 2, 2024
- Award / Honor Recipient: Visionary Leader Award, UT Health San Antonio. February 2019
- Award / Honor Recipient: DNP Excellence in Nursing Award, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. May 2014
- Award / Honor Recipient: Rural Health Student Award, Texas Rural Health Association. August 2013

Featured service activities
- Chair
Graduate Assessment Committee
- Participant
TXST Graduate College
- Member
Honor Code Council
- Chair
Admission/Progression/Graduation-Graduate Committee
- Other
SON Curriculum and Program Evaluation Committee
- Other
SON