Lisa Smith

Lisa Smith leads PATH’s Market Dynamics program, overseeing a diverse portfolio focused on understanding markets and addressing barriers to access so that appropriately designed, high-impact health products can meet demand and reach the people who need them. Lisa is a strategic leader with 15 years of experience partnering to expand use of market-based approaches to improve health outcomes.

Lisa has been with PATH since 2016 and has most recently served as the director for PATH’s Access to Medical Devices portfolio, which comprised multiple projects to strengthen oxygen utilization and respiratory care ecosystems and improve access to lifesaving medical devices. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lisa successfully led projects that improved reliable access to medical oxygen and respiratory care in more than 20 countries. In her current role as program director, Lisa provides the strategic direction for and oversight of a team of more than 60 colleagues across the globe. Lisa’s passion is in building interest and local capacity for market-based solutions in the countries PATH seeks to serve. Her work draws on PATH’s history of partnering across the public and private sectors and transformative change in health service delivery.

Prior to joining PATH, Lisa researched business strategies in emerging economies, developing scalable and sustainable models for global health delivery and supply chains with the William Davidson Institute (WDI) at the University of Michigan. During her tenure at WDI, she led technical work in health care market dynamics with specific expertise in the therapeutic product markets for tuberculosis, malaria, noncommunicable diseases, and diarrheal disease.

Lisa holds a master of public health with a certificate in global health and a master of social work in policy and evaluation from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor degree in psychology, sociology, and German from Hope College.