Dr. William A. Smith
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Biography
Dr. William A. Smith, the scholar who introduced the concept of Racial Battle Fatigue in 2003, is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Utah and holds the Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Endowed Chair, with appointments in the Department of Psychiatry, the Department of Education, Culture & Society, and the Department of Ethnic, Gender, & Disability Studies. As Chief Executive Administrator at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI), he leads internal, local, and national initiatives to raise mental health awareness and advance mental health justice. The Stanford University/Elsevier Data Repository has named Dr. Smith among the world’s top 2% of scientists every year since 2022, and he placed in the top 1% of U.S. research professors in the RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings in 2023 and 2025. His work has been cited nearly 13,000 times on Google Scholar. He is a Fellow of both the American Educational Research Association (2025) and the Association for the Study of Higher Education (second class of Fellows). His honors include the Spencer Foundation’s National Mentor Award, the University of Utah’s Distinguished Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholar Mentor Award, the University of Utah Distinguished Research Award, the 2022 Derrick Bell Legacy Award from the Critical Race Studies Education Association, and the 2026 Elizabeth G. Cohen Distinguished Career in Applied Sociology of Education Award from the AERA Sociology of Education Special Interest Group.
Affiliations
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Department of Psychiatry
Honors and Awards
Fellow
American Educational Research Association, Washington D.C., USA
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) Fellows Program honors education researchers with substantial, sustained accomplishments and recognizes excellence across interdisciplinary educational scholarship. Peers nominate candidates, and the Fellows Committee selects them, with approval from the AERA Council.
Fellow
Association for the Study of Higher Education, Washington D.C., USA
The Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Fellows Program honors prominent scholars and leaders for their integrity, mentorship, significant research contributions, and service to the association. Launched in 2025 with an inaugural class of 25 Fellows, the program recognizes individuals with careers in higher education spanning more than 20 years who hold the rank of Associate or Full Professor (or a key leadership role).
Spencer Foundation’s National Mentor Award
Spencer Foundation, Chicago, USA
The Spencer Mentor Award (often referred to as the Spencer Foundation) honors senior education researchers who show an extraordinary commitment to guiding, training, and supporting the careers of graduate students and junior scholars. Recipients receive a $15,000 grant to support their ongoing mentorship activities.
The Derrick Bell Legacy Award
Critical Race Studies in Education Association, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
The Derrick Bell Legacy Award is a national honor presented by the Critical Race Studies in Education Association (CRSEA). It recognizes critical race theorists, scholars, and progressive educator-activists who show personal courage and dedication to advancing social justice and racial equity in education.
Elizabeth G. Cohen Distinguished Career in Applied Sociology of Education Award
American Educational Research Association, Washington D.C., USA
The Elizabeth G. Cohen Distinguished Career in Applied Sociology of Education Award is a national honor presented every two years by the Sociology of Education Special Interest Group (SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). It recognizes senior scholars whose research careers serve as models for using rigorous sociological data to solve real-world problems in practical educational settings.