Dr. Karry Smith earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree and a PhD in Cell Biology from the University of Iowa. She has worked in the pharmaceutical industry since 2014 and is currently an Associate Director of Oncology Medical Writing at Merck. In 2019, Dr. Smith earned a graduate certificate in cannabinoid pharmacology from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Dr. Smith has longstanding interests in pain medicine, addiction, opioids, and the patient voice. To that end, she is currently pursuing a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree at Johns Hopkins in Health Policy and Management and will to focus her research on patient reported outcomes in the context of multiple sclerosis. She is passionate about education and is currently co-teaching a special topics course to healthcare students at Des Moines University that focuses on pain management and associated issues.