John Alexander Smith

Dr. John Alexander Smith, Professor of Pathology at UAB School of Medicine, passed away on September 19, 2021, at the age of 74.

Born April 3, 1947 to Noble Macbeth Smith and Johanna Rau Smith, Dr. Smith was raised in St. Charles, Missouri. He earned degrees from Purdue University, University of Melbourne, University of Missouri School of Medicine, and Tulane University. Prior to joining the UAB faculty, he was Associate Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School; Associate Molecular Biologist and Associate Pathologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital; and Executive Director, Autoimmune Diseases Research and Molecular Immunology at Merck & Company.

Dr. Smith's career at UAB included roles as: Professor of Pathology; Director, Division of Laboratory Medicine (20 years); Assistant Chief of Staff, UAB Hospital; Chair, Promotions and Tenure Committee, UAB-School of Medicine; Chair, UAB Faculty Senate; and UAB Faculty Representative to the University of Alabama Board of Trustees, and Medical Director, UAB Health System.

His early research involved the invention of solid-phase combinatorial chemistry, the elucidation of the molecular presentation of peptide antigens to helper T cells, and the purification of important enzymes involved in protein processing. He was a Founding Editor of the Current Protocols, an extensive series of technical guides for the branches of the biological sciences. He co-edited the flagship of the series, Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, from 1986-2016. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Purdue University in 2005 for his research in protein science and his contributions to molecular biology education. He published more than 200 papers, dealing with proteins, immune recognition, and health services research.

During his career as a scientist, he worked with some of the world's leading scientists, including Christian Anfinsen (Nobel Prize, National Academy of Sciences (NAS), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS)]; K. Frank Austen (Gardiner Prize, NAS, National Academy of Medicine (NAM), AAAS); Edgar Haber [NAM, AAAS, Chief of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital]; and John E. Walker [Nobel Prize, Fellow of the Royal Society). He was a Rotary Internal Fellow for International Understanding (University of Melbourne); a National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia) Fellow (University of Melbourne); Senior Research Associate, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (Harvard Medical School); Milton Fellow (Harvard University); Wellcome Trust Fellow (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, England); and a Visiting Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Celera Genomics, and European Bioinformatics Institute (Cambridge, England). He co-founded the Protein Purification and Characterization course at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (New York).

Dr. Smith’s honors include: Eagle Scout Award; Pro Deo et Patria Award; The Distinguished Young Physician Award (Missouri Medical Alumni Organization); Distinguished Alumnus Award (School of Science, Purdue University); Fellow, College of American Pathologists; Fellow, American College of Physician Executives; Award of Excellence, UAB Hospital; Visiting Scholar (Wolfson College, Cambridge, England), Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science; James E. West Fellow, Greater Alabama Council, Boy Scouts of America; Heritage Award, Greater Alabama Council, Boy Scouts of America; Alpha Omega Alpha (national honorary medical society); and Paul Harris Fellow (Rotary International).

Dr. Smith served on numerous national and local committees and boards including: Founding Member and Treasurer (American Peptide Society); Board of Directors, Science Policy Committee, and Vice President for Science Policy (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology); Standing Committee on Biodefense for the U.S. Department of Defense (National Academy of Sciences); St. Andrew's Society of the Middle South; and Rotary Club of Birmingham.

Dr. Smith is survived by his wife of 38 years, Dorinda Miles Smith. He is also survived by a sister, Jane Rau Smith, brother-in-law Franklin Beardsley Miles, Jr. (Nancy), and nieces and nephews: Cort Macbeth Smith, Graham Alexander Bascomb Smith, Todd Robert Liscombe, Blake Smith Liscombe, Paige Claire Liscombe, Deborah Miles Czech, and Lisa Hastings Miles.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.johnsridouts.com for the Smith family.