Paige Smith

BRIEF BIO

PERSONAL INTRODUCTION

After I received my MPH in 1985, I began working as the director of a domestic violence and rape crisis program in rural North Carolina. This experience led me to focus my doctoral work and early research career around gender violence. In 1995 I joined the faculty in Public Health Education, and just over 9 months later became a mother. This timeline indicates that I have been navigating the life of a “working mother” since joining the faculty. These experiences led me to expand my research program to incorporate women’s experiences with motherhood and breastfeeding. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become increasingly interested in creatively engaging with people as they grow in awareness about their own life, engage with a new vision, and get ready to make their own lives and the world a better place; so I trained and became certified as a life coach. I am also pursuing my training as a yoga instructor, learning to be in positive relationship with my daughter as an adult, and becoming more of a caregiver for my own parents as they enter their 80s. I am an active member of the Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist and spend as much time at the beach as I can.

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Paige Hall Smith is professor of Public Health Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She received her doctorate in health behavior and health education from the UNC Chapel Hill in 1993 and her MSPH in health policy and administration in 1986, also from UNC-CH. She was the Linda Arnold Carlisle Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies for 2004-2006. She served as director of UNCG’s Center for Women’s Health and Wellness from 2005-2020. Her research continues to focus on breastfeeding and gender violence prevention and response. She is currently collaborating with colleagues at UNCG and across the state on the NC LGBTQ Domestic Violence Response Initiative. Prior gender violence research has focused on various areas including conceptualization and measurement (Women’s Experience with Battering Scale), health care response to domestic violence, and prevalence and risk factors for victimization and perpetration of sexual violence. Her work in breastfeeding centers on assessing the links between infant feeding and gender. She was director of the Breastfeeding and Feminism International Conference for 2004-2019.

• Ph.D. in Health Behavior and Health Education, Gillings Global School of Public Health, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
• MSPH in Health Policy and Administration, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research interests align with advancing the health, wellness, and quality of life of women, children and LGBTQ populations. My work primarily focuses on gender violence, and breastfeeding.

CURRENT PROJECTS

1. NC LGBTQ Domestic Violence Research Initiative. The purpose of this project is to advance the capacity of community and campus based programs to provide safe, equitable and quality services to LGBTQ Survivors of intimate partner violence. This community-engaged research and evaluation and involves multiple partners: Stacy Sechrist, UNCG’s NC Network for Safe Communities (Co-director); Helpmate, in Asheville; Outer Banks Hotline and LGBTQ Center in Nags Head; Family Services of the Piedmont, Greensboro; UNCG’s Campus Violence Response Center. This project has been funded by the NC Governor’s Crime Commission for the period 10/1/2017– 9/30-2022.

2. Status of Women Project. This project explores the impact that the status of women (at the state level) has on the women’s lives, health and behavior. To date we have explored how it impacts infant feeding practices.

BOOKS

1.Smith, P.H., Labbok, M., Chambers, B. (Editors) (2017). Breastfeeding, Social Justice and Equity: Papers from the 10th Breastfeeding and Feminism International Conference. Amarillo, Texas: Praeclarus Press, LLC The chapters in this book are based on presentations at the 10thth Breastfeeding and Feminism Symposium held at the Sheraton Hotel, Chapel Hill, 2015.

2. Labbok M, Smith, P.H. (Editors) (2016). Advancing Breastfeeding: Forging Partnerships for a Better Tomorrow. Amarillo, Texas: Praeclarus Press, LLC. The chapters in this book are based on presentations at the 9thth Breastfeeding and Feminism Symposium held at the Sheraton Hotel, Chapel Hill, 2014.

3. Smith, P.H., Labbok M (Editors) (2014). It takes a village: Inspiring and empowering women to breastfeed. Amarillo, Texas: Praeclarus Press, LLC. The chapters in this book are based on presentations at the 8thth Breastfeeding and Feminism Symposium held at the Sheraton Hotel, Chapel Hill, 2013.

4. Smith, P.H., Hausman, B.L., & Labbok, M (Editors) (2012). Beyond Health, Beyond Choice: Breastfeeding Constraints and Realities. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. The chapters in this book are based on presentations at the 5th Breastfeeding and Feminism Symposium held at UNC Greensboro, March 20, 2010.

RECENT INVITED BOOK CHAPTERS

1. Smith, P.H. and Chetwynd, E. (2019). Breastfeeding and Lactation: Roots and Wings. In Wambach K., and Spencer, B. (Eds). Breastfeeding and Human Lactation, 6th Edition. Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning. TM Collaboration: Chetwynd.

2. Smith, P.H. Breastfeeding and Feminism: Shifting the Center (2918). In Travis, C.B. and White, J.W. (Eds). APA Handbook of the Psychology of Women: Perspectives on Women’s Private and Public Lives, Vol. 2. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

1. Swartout, K.M, Flack, Jr, W.F., Cook, S.Ll, Olson, L.N., Smith, P.H., & White, J.W. (2019) Measuring campus sexual misconduct and it’s context: The administrator-researcher campus climate consortium (ARC3) survey. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 11(5): 495-504.

2.Smith, P.H. (2019). Book Review: Social Experiences of Breastfeeding. Journal of Human Lactation. 35(4):818-819.

3. Smith, P.H. (2018). Lactation Newsmakers Column: An interview with Penny Van Esterik, MA, PHD. Journal of Human Lactation. Journal of Human Lactation, 34(4): 663-667.

4. Smith, P.H. (2018). Social Justice at the Core of Breastfeeding Protection, Promotion and Support: A Conceptualization. Journal of Human Lactation, 34(2): 220-225. (Invited commentary for a special issue on social justice and lactation.)

5. Eifert, E.K., Hall, M., Smith, P.H., & Wideman, L. (2018). Quality of Life as a Mediator of Leisure Activity and Perceived Health Among Older Woman. Journal of Women & Aging, 5, 1-21.