Dr. André Smith

Biography

André Smith is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Victoria. His research interests are primarily focused on aging, mental health, ethnicity, and blood donation. Dr. Smith's research program reflects a desire to understand the intersectionality of health and health-related behavior within wider socio-cultural, institutional, and familial dimensions. He is affiliated with the University of Victoria's Institute of Aging and Lifelong Health, receiving funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Alzheimer Society of Canada. Dr. Smith has studied diagnostic experiences of individuals with dementia and their family caregivers. In collaboration with Dr. Kobayashi, he examined how cultural values and immigration history mediate intergenerational understandings of dementia in Japanese Canadian families. Dr. Smith is also a member of UBC's ELDERS research team, focusing on the social determinants of oral health among elderly populations of Chinese and Punjabi origins. His current research examines how institutions, regulatory environments, and organizational cultures influence health care practices, specifically the experiences of family caregivers of relatives receiving drug treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. He teaches courses in qualitative research methods, mental health, and self-identity, and is available to supervise graduate students in areas such as aging, dementia, health regulation, and qualitative research methodologies.

Research Interests

Courses