Candace Smith

Background

About Candace Smith

I am an applied public health professional and researcher working at the intersection of epidemiology, sociology, and drug policy, with a focus on harm reduction, substance use, and health equity. My work centers on understanding how policy, institutions, and stigma shape access to services and population-level health outcomes.I currently serve as the Program Lead for the Community Health and Mobilization Prevention Services (CHAMPS) program at Community Education Group, where I lead and deliver remote instruction for community members with lived experience of substance use and incarceration across Appalachia. In this role, I design and teach curriculum on public health fundamentals, trauma-informed care, harm reduction, mental health first aid, overdose prevention, and workforce development, supporting participants as they train to become community health workers.Alongside my applied work, I am actively engaged in research on substance use, harm reduction, and public discourse. My recent research includes an evaluation of syringe exchange policy changes and defunding in West Virginia, presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, as well as a longitudinal analysis of newspaper language and stigma related to substance use across the three waves of the opioid overdose epidemic, accepted for presentation at the North Central Sociological Association Annual Meeting.I hold a BA in Sociology and Philosophy, an MPH with an emphasis in Community and Global Health, and I am currently pursuing an MA in Sociology. My professional interests include policy evaluation, substance use epidemiology, harm reduction implementation, and the social determinants of health. I am particularly committed to research and practice that are evidence-based, community-informed, and oriented toward systems-level change.