Dr. Christopher Smith is a native of Las Cruces, New Mexico. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Rice University and his medical degree from the UNM School of Medicine before completing his Internal Medicine residency at the University of Colorado, where he joined the faculty and began focusing on quality improvement.

Dr. Smith returned to UNM as a hospitalist in 2020, quickly rising to Hospital Medicine Vice Section Chief and then Section Chief, where he led clinical operations and championed initiatives in scheduling, geographic cohorting, and discharge safety. In 2024, he was named Physician of the Year by the New Mexico Chapter of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Board certified in both Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine, Dr. Smith co-founded CAMINOS, UNM Hospital's inpatient addiction consult service, and serves as its Director of Operations. Under his leadership, CAMINOS has grown into one of the busiest consult services in the hospital, reflecting his deep commitment to UNM's safety net mission.

In July 2026, Dr. Smith was named Associate Chief Medical Officer of Adult Inpatient Services at UNM Hospital, where he partners with leaders across the School of Medicine and the hospital to improve patient flow, strengthen throughput, and increase efficiency across UNM's two inpatient campuses.