Nichole A. Smith, MD

Dr. Nichole A. Smith, MD is a pulmonary and critical care physician specializing in adult lung transplantation and advanced mechanical support, including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). She serves at IU Health Methodist Hospital and is an assistant professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine.

Dr. Smith is the interim medical director of the IU Health Lung Transplant Program, the only program of its kind in Indiana. She also holds the role of associate medical director for the ECMO Program at IU Health Methodist, one of the largest adult ECMO programs globally, handling 70 to 140 cases annually with outcomes that consistently exceed national averages. In addition to these responsibilities, she serves as the medical director of the Solid Organ Transplant Unit and the Center of Life for Thoracic Transplant (COLTT), a specialized pulmonary rehabilitation program focused on patients with advanced heart and lung conditions.

Under her leadership, the ECMO program has maintained its Gold Level Center of Excellence designation for extracorporeal life support.

Dr. Smith earned her medical degree at Ross University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria (UICOMP), followed by a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Indiana University. During her residency, Dr. Smith co-authored a pivotal review on the "Outbreak of Synthetic Cannabinoid-Associated Coagulopathy in Illinois," published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This work was presented at Medicine Grand Rounds at UICOMP, recognized among the Top Case Reports at the 2019 CHEST Conference, and included in the American Board of Emergency Medicine’s 2021 MedTox Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment (LLSA) Reading List.

Dr. Smith is committed to advancing the field of lung transplantation and critical care through her leadership roles and ongoing contributions to clinical practice and research.