Biography

As chief medical editor at WebMD Health, Michael W. Smith, MD, is in charge of original WebMD content creation, including medical news, features, tools, and health reference information.

He first joined WebMD in 1999 and now oversees a staff of editors, writers, and physicians responsible for creating content and assuring its continued medical accuracy and relevance to the WebMD audience.

Smith has appeared on Fox News and on DirectTV's Retirement Living channel. In addition, he has appeared in multiple publications, including Newsweek and USA Weekend, recently featured as the Internet's Top Doc. He has also been interviewed by local radio stations and newspapers across the country, speaking on everything from hangover remedies to navigating the Internet for accurate, credible health information.

Smith graduated from Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Ga., in 1994, then did his internship in internal medicine at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon. He finished his internal medicine residency -- his final year as chief resident -- at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta. He became board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and then entered private practice as a primary care physician. After two years of practicing in a primary care network in Atlanta, Smith joined the staff of WebMD full-time.

As a general internist, Smith's interest and knowledge span a wide array of medical topics, but he is particularly interested in prevention and helping people live a healthy, active lifestyle. Arthritis is an area of personal interest to him -- having developed ankylosing spondylitis in his college years.

Dr. Smith is a member of the American College of Physicians and the American Medical Association.