Michelle Smith, MD

Hello! I'm Michelle Smith, a Southern California native but Midwestern at heart. I was born and raised in Menifee, California (north of San Diego) in a family of five, with an older sister and younger brother. My parents grew up and met in Missouri, and my dad attended college at Missouri State in Springfield. A few of my favorite vacation memories with family took place in the Ozarks and Branson, Missouri!

I have always been fascinated by health and helping people, and becoming a doctor has been a lifelong dream of mine. In high school, I also took an interest in learning American Sign Language and became involved as a volunteer interpreter for the deaf at my church. I completed my undergraduate studies at UC Riverside and taught high school biology in the year following my graduation. I was then blessed to return to UC Riverside to study medicine.

I love the variety that comes along with Family Medicine, as well as the long-term relationships I will build with patients and their families. My interests within Family Medicine include wilderness medicine, caring for the underserved (including the deaf), teaching, preventative medicine and pediatrics. I chose CoxHealth for the strong full-spectrum training and wonderful people I met during the interview season, among other reasons. I am thankful and excited to continue my journey at CoxHealth!

Outside of medicine, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, trying new coffee shops, church activities, rock climbing, hiking, kayaking, swimming and being outdoors!