Maxwell J. Smith, PhD

Maxwell Smith

Assistant Professor

maxwell.smith@uwo.ca

Education

  • Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship (McGill University)
  • PhD (University of Toronto)
  • MSc (Union Graduate College & the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)
  • BA (Hons.) (University of Toronto)
  • Certificate in Health Law (Osgoode Hall Law School, York University)

Supervising Graduate Students

  • Yes

Research Interests

  • Values in health policy/public health policy
  • Justice and health (health equity; health justice; social justice)
  • Ethics and health (public health ethics; health policy ethics; global health ethics; bioethics; applied ethics)
  • Infectious disease policy and ethics
  • Cross-sectoral/intersectoral systems thinking for health
  • Qualitative health research
  • Empirical ethics methodology

Additional Information

Recent Publications

  • Smith MJ, Upshur REG. (2019). Pandemic Disease, Public Health, and Ethics. In Oxford Handbook of Public Health Ethics, ed. Mastroianni A, Kahn J, Kass N. Oxford University Press.
  • Smith MJ, Thompson A, Upshur REG. (2019). Public Health as Social Justice? A Qualitative Study of Public Health Policy-Makers’ Perspectives. Social Justice Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-019-00327-7
  • Smith MJ. (2019). Ethical Issues Analysis. In Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety Disorders: Patient’s Experiences and Perspectives, Implementation, and Ethical Issues. Ottawa: Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH). CADTH Optimal Use Report, 8(2b).
  • Smith MJ, Weinstock D. (2019). Reducing Health Inequities Through Intersectoral Action: Balancing Equity in Health with Equity for Other Social Goods. International Journal of Health Policy and Management. 8(1): 1–3.
  • Smith MJ, Thompson A, Upshur REG. (2018). Is ‘Health Equity’ Bad for Our Health? A Qualitative Empirical Ethics Study of Public Health Policy-Makers’ Perspectives. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 109(5): 633-642.
  • Smith MJ, Weinstock D. (2018). Political Legitimacy and Research Ethics. Bioethics, 33(3): 312-318.
  • Silva DS, Smith MJ, Norman C. (2018). Systems Thinking and Ethics in Public Health: A Necessary and Mutually Beneficial Partnership. Monash Bioethics Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40592-018-0082-1
  • Buse CG, Smith MJ, Silva DS. (2018). Attending to Scalar Ethical Issues in Emerging Approaches to Environmental Health Research and Practice. Monash Bioethics Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40592-018-0080-3
  • Lebner A, Smith MJ. (2017). Deactivating Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICDs) in Cancer Patients: A Scoping Review of Ethical Considerations. Journal of Pain Management, 10(1): 99-105.
  • Bean S, Smith MJ. (2016). Medical Cannabis: Identifying Ethical and Policy Implications for Healthcare Organizations in Canada. Journal of Pain Management, 9(4): 473-479.
  • Smith MJ, Viens AM. (2016). Critical Care Triage in Pandemics. In Public Health Ethics: Cases Spanning the Globe (pgs. 90-94), ed. Barrett DH, Ortmann LW, Dawson A, Saenz C, Reis A, Bolan G. Springer International Publishing.
  • Viens AM, Smith MJ. (2016). Mass Evacuation. In Public Health Ethics: Cases Spanning the Globe (pgs. 132-136), ed. Barrett DH, Ortmann LW, Dawson A, Saenz C, Reis A, Bolan G. Springer International Publishing.
  • Bernard CB, Smith MJ, Wagner F. (2016). Unanticipated Vulnerability: Marginalizing the Least Visible in Pandemic Planning. In Public Health Ethics: Cases Spanning the Globe (pgs. 226-230), ed. Barrett DH, Ortmann LW, Dawson A, Saenz C, Reis A, Bolan G. Springer International Publishing.
  • Bean S, Smith MJ. (2016). Victimless Vapour? Healthcare Organizations Should Restrict the Use of E-cigarettes. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 106(8): e467-e469.
  • Komparic A, Smith MJ, Thompson A. (2016). An Ethical Justification for Expanding the Notion of Effectiveness in Vaccine Post-Market Monitoring: Insights from the HPV Vaccine in Canada. Public Health Ethics, 9(1): 78-91.
  • Smith MJ, Upshur REG. (2015). Ebola and Learning Lessons from Moral Failures: Who Cares About Ethics? Public Health Ethics, 8(3): 305-318.
  • Smith MJ, Upshur REG. (2015). Most Powerful Lesson from Ebola: We Do Not Learn Our Lessons. Oxford University Press OUPblog. December, 2015.
  • Smith MJ, Silva DS. (2015). Ethics for Pandemics Beyond Influenza: Ebola, Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis, and Anticipating Future Ethical Challenges in Pandemic Preparedness and Response. Monash Bioethics Review, 33(2): 130-147.
  • Smith MJ. (2015). Health Equity in Public Health: Clarifying our Commitment. Public Health Ethics, 8(2): 173-184.
  • Smith MJ. (2015). Ethical Considerations for the Reduction of Multifetal Pregnancies. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Online Bioethics Curriculum (Section IV: Reproductive Health). Ottawa: Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
  • Smith MJ. (2015). What’s on the Menu for an Equitable Approach to Nutrition Labelling in Restaurants? Public Health Ethics, 8(1): 98-102.
  • Smith MJ. (2015). “Publication Bias” and How it Might Effect the Response to Public Health Emergencies. In Ethics in Epidemics, Emergencies and Disasters: Research, Surveillance and Patient Care (pgs. 147-154). Geneva: World Health Organization.
  • Smith MJ. (2015). Ethical Obligations of Researchers, Public Health Practitioners and Publishers Regarding Ownership of Scientific Data. In Ethics in Epidemics, Emergencies and Disasters: Research, Surveillance and Patient Care (pgs. 155-162). Geneva: World Health Organization.
  • Bean S, Smith MJ. (2015). A Vaping Matter: E-cigarette Use in Healthcare Organizations. The Hastings Center Report, 45(6): 11-12.
  • Livingstone S, Smith MJ, Silva DS, Upshur REG. (2015). Much Ado about Omics: Welcome to 'The Permutome'. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 21(6): 1018-1021.
  • Silva DS, Smith MJ. (2015). Limiting Rights and Freedoms in the Context of Ebola and other Public Health Emergencies: How the Principle of Reciprocity Can Enrich the Application of the Siracusa Principles. Health and Human Rights, 17(1): 52-57.
  • Thompson A, Smith MJ, Bensimon CM, McDougall C, Perez DF. (2015). “With Human Health it’s a Global Thing”: Canadian Perspectives on Ethics in the Global Governance of an Influenza Pandemic. Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 12(1): 115-127.

Academic Appointments

  • Cross Appointment - Department of Philosophy, Western University
  • Assistant Professor (status) - Division of Clinical Public Health & Joint Centre for Bioethics, University of Toronto
  • Adjunct Professor - Department of Bioethics, Clarkson University

Resarch Affiliations

  • Co-Director, Health Ethics, Law, & Policy (HELP) Lab
  • Associate Member, Rotman Institute of Philosophy
  • Associate Member, Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration (CPSX)
  • Member, Centre for Research on Health Equity and Social Inclusion (CRHESI)

Teaching Areas

  • Health policy
  • Health justice
  • Health ethics

Professional Activities

  • Consulting Bioethicist, Health Ethics Alliance, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
  • Consulting Ethicist (Contractor) - Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH)