Physician Features
Volunteer Spotlight: Dr. McCasey Smith
McCasey Smith, MD grew up in Kansas City and played tennis at the University of Notre Dame. After graduation in 2002, he played minor league tennis for a couple of years, and then attended Saba University School of Medicine for his MD and MSc in Hyperbaric Medicine. He completed residency at Baylor College of Medicine where he served as administrative chief resident, and then moved to the University of Kansas where he completed a fellowship in Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine. After graduation he stayed on as faculty at KUMC.
What is your current role?
I currently serve as residency program director and associate program director for the Interventional Spine fellowship at KU, and I am the medical director of the Marc A. Asher Spine Center at the University of Kansas. I previously served as Undergraduate Medical Director from 2015-2022 at KUMC, and I served as an anatomy thread head in re-writing the medical school curriculum at the medical school from 2015-2017.
Why did you choose PM&R?
As a former athlete, I knew that I wanted to help people regain function, but I didn’t know that there was a specialty that focused on functional restoration. During an orthopedic surgery rotation, one of the residents was telling me about an exciting field - PM&R - and he indicated that if he were to do his training again, then he would have considered the field. I had a classmate who had a PM&R rotation, but wanted to switch for one of my electives. I agreed to trade, and the time spent during my rotation helping people with neurologic and orthopedic made me excited to be a physician, and I then knew that it was my calling.
How did you get started volunteering for ABPMR?
I believe one of my co-workers, Sarah Eickmeyer was working with the board and mentioned how much she enjoyed it. I think I reached out to ABPMR looking for any opportunities to get involved. Initially I served as an item writer, and then I decided to help as an oral examiner around 2020.
You are moving from Item Writer to Senior Reviewer- what are you looking forward to most in your new role?
The thing I look forward to most as I transition into the role of Senior Reviewer is working with so many talented and bright protists around the country. Every time I attend my ABPMR meetings, I learn something. There are so many talented and amazing people with the organization, and it invigorates me to work with them.
What advice would you give someone who is thinking about volunteering with ABPMR?
I would recommend jumping in and seeing how you can get involved. At first I wasn’t sure how I could help as a junior faculty who was studying for boards not too long before, but as I started volunteer, I realized that I was able to provide meaningful contributions while also learning at the same time. I feel like I have become a better physiatrist through the time that I have worked with ABPMR, and I hope that I have been able to contribute in making our field better.
What does board certification mean to you?
Having board certification indicates that a physiatrist is competent and upholds a high standard in patient care. If I am sending a family member or a patient to see a board certified physiatrist, I know that they will be seeing a physiatrist who is knowledgeable in functional restoration and up to date in the latest concepts and trends in our field.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I enjoy spending time with my family, playing tennis, running, and traveling. These days, many of these hobbies are concurrent as I enjoy traveling my with my two daughters and son who play competitive tennis across the country. We also enjoy running RunDisney races together. My favorite trip we have taken was last year when we traveled to northern Italy and Switzerland. The Alps were majestic and awe inspiring!
