Martez Smith, PhD, LMSW

Martez Smith, PhD, is a Licensed Master Social Worker and serves as the Director of Knowledge and Review for The Jed Foundation (JED). As the Director of Knowledge & Review, Dr. Smith oversees the data review of JED’s mental health content, ensuring it is evidence-based and accessible to diverse communities.

Prior to joining JED, Dr. Smith’s research efforts focused on sexual health and substance use within the contexts of HIV prevention, treatment, and care among Black sexual and gender-diverse communities. He also co-founded the Keeping Ballroom Community Alive Network (KBCAN) in 2015 and has led numerous public health and social justice initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes for historically marginalized populations. Dr. Smith received his doctorate in nursing and health science from the University of Rochester School of Nursing.

Since 2010, Dr. Smith has worked on numerous health and social welfare initiatives, beginning as an HIV case management intern in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. He has since served as an HIV test counselor, research assistant/coordinator on HIV and sexual health studies, consultant for national and state HIV awareness campaigns, and contributed to the startup of the Office of Supportive/Affordable Housing and Services (OSAHS), an initiative to procure 15,000 units of supportive housing in New York City. These experiences led to his role as Community Co-Chair of the Ending the Epidemic Task Force Black MSM Subcommittee, where he led efforts to implement recommendations for improving HIV care continuum outcomes for Black MSM across New York State. In 2019, Dr. Smith served as the inaugural Storytelling Co-Chair for the National HIV Prevention Conference, hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Smith has been active in the house/ballroom community since 2009 and is currently a member of the House of Xclusive-Lanvin in mainstream ballroom and the House of Hua Mulan in Kiki ballroom.

Publications

Couple-Centered HIV Prevention and Care: Endorsement, Practice and Uncertainty among US Healthcare Providers in Western-Central Upstate New York

P. M. B. Natalie M. Leblanc, P. M. B. U. D. R. Sadandaula R. Muheriwa-Matemba, PhD Msw BA Noelle St. Vil, PhD MS Bsn Danielle Alcena-Stiner, E. M. C. Keosha T. Bond, BA Alexander Glazier, Dnp RN Cne Cnl Luis Rosario-McCabe, WHNP-BC, Faith Lambert, FNP-BC, PhD Lsw Martez Smith

medRxiv, 2024

Global North learning from Global South: A community-led response to mpox in New York City

Grant Roth, Jennifer Barnes-Balenciaga, Joseph S Osmundson, Martez D R Smith, Nguyen K Tran, Nicholas Diamond, Keletso Makofane

PLOS Global Public Health, 2023

Leveraging family-based assets for Black men who have sex with men in House Ball Communities: Protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Jeffrey Birnbaum, Michael Roberson, Marlon M Bailey, Martez D R Smith, DeAnne Turner, Han-Zhu Qian, Sangchoon Jeon, Sabina Hirshfield, LaRon E Nelson

PLoS ONE, 2023

Leveraging family-based assets for Black men who have sex with men in House Ball Communities: Protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

Jeffrey Birnbaum, Michael Roberson, Marlon M Bailey, Martez D R Smith, DeAnne Turner, Han-Zhu Qian, S. Jeon, Sabina Hirshfield, LaRon E Nelson

PLoS ONE, 2023

Autonomy-supportive sexual health communication and sexual health behaviors for black and Latino MSM in the House Ball Community: Protocol for a social network analysis and exploratory structural equation model

Martez D R Smith, Natalie M. Leblanc, LaRon E Nelson, James McMahon

PLoS ONE, 2023

HPP Presents: Equity and Social Justice in Health Promotion Practice for LGBTQIA2S+ Children, Youth, and Young Adults

S. Hirshfield, J. Birnbaum, DeAnne Turner, Michael Roberson, M. Bailey, Martez D R Smith, LaRon E Nelson

2023

Assessing Different Types of HIV Communication and Sociocultural Factors on Perceived HIV Stigma and Testing among a National Sample of Youth and Young Adults

Gamji M’Rabiu Abubakari, Martez DR Smith, Donte T Boyd, S Raquel Ramos, Courtney Johnson, Juan L Benavides, Megan Threats, Junior L Allen, Camille R Quinn

International journal of environmental research and public health, vol. 19(2), 2022, p. 1003

Creating a Virtual Network to Support LGBTQIA+ Youth in Rural Settings: Development of Colorado’s Queer Youth Network

S. Hirshfield, J. Birnbaum, DeAnne Turner, Michael Roberson, M. Bailey, Martez D R Smith, LaRon E Nelson

Health Promotion Practice, 2022

An Innovative Adaptation of an HIV Status-Neutral, Community-Informed, Socioemotional Asset-Building Intervention With the House Ball Community

S. Hirshfield, J. Birnbaum, DeAnne Turner, Michael Roberson, M. Bailey, Martez D R Smith, LaRon E Nelson

Health Promotion Practice, 2022

The Magnetic Couples Study: protocol for a mixed methods prospective cohort study of HIV-serodifferent heterosexual couples’ perspectives and use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)

J. McMahon, J. Simmons, J. Haberer, S. Mannheimer, Natalie M Leblanc, Leilani Torres, Robert Quiles, G. Aedo, A. Javier, Amy Braksmajer, Graham A Harriman, Nicole Trabold, E. Pouget, A. Kurth, Martez D. R. Smith, Judith Brasch, Eric J Podsiadly, P. Anderson

BMJ Open, 2021

Ecological and Syndemic Predictors of Drug Use During Sex and Transactional Sex among U.S. Black Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Secondary Data Analysis from the HPTN 061 Study.

Natalie M Leblanc, H. Crean, Typhanye Dyer, Chen Zhang, Rodman E. Turpin, Nanhua Zhang, Martez D. R. Smith, J. McMahon, LaRon E Nelson

Archives of sexual behavior, 2021

Correction to: Ecological and Syndemic Predictors of Drug Use During Sex and Transactional Sex among U.S. Black Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Secondary Data Analysis from the HPTN 061 Study

Natalie M. Leblanc, Hugh F. Crean, Typhanye Dyer, Chen Zhang, R. Turpin, Nanhua Zhang, Martez D R Smith, J. McMahon, LaRon E Nelson

Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2021

Knowledge and Acceptability of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Ghana

A. Ogunbajo, Natalie M Leblanc, Sameer Kushwaha, F. Boakye, S. Hanson, Martez D. R. Smith, LaRon E Nelson

AIDS care, 2020

Vogue dance, flow, and a new dimension for performance psychology.

Martez D. R. Smith, Leeja Carter, J. Phillips

The Humanistic Psychologist, 2020

Social, Clinical, and Behavioral Determinants of HIV Infection and HIV Testing among Black Men in Toronto, Ontario: A Classification and Regression Tree Analysis

P. Djiadeu, Martez D. R. Smith, Sameer Kushwaha, Apondi J Odhiambo, David Absalom, W. Husbands, W. Tharao, R. Regan, Ting Sa, Nanhua Zhang, R. Kaul, LaRon E Nelson

Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, 2020

Mandating intersectionality in sport psychology

Martez D. R. Smith, Cathryn B. Lucas, Erica Tibbetts, Leeja Carter

Feminist Applied Sport Psychology, 2019

How do male sex workers on Craigslist differ from those on Rentboy? A comparison of two samples

C. Grov, J. Koken, Martez D. R. Smith, J. Parsons

Culture, health & sexuality, 2017

Contact

Martez Smith

PhD, LMSW

Curriculum vitae