Laurie Smith

Dr. Laurie Smith is a Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences at East Texas Baptist University (School of Natural and Social Sciences). She has taught at the college level since 1988, specializing in courses like Criminology, Death and Dying, and Women and Men in Society. Her research collaborations with Dr. Mark Miller explore intersections between religious beliefs and substance abuse, while her work also addresses bereavement and grief support, informed by personal experience with loss.

• Teaching since: 1988
• ETBU affiliation since: 1991
• Key research partnerships: Dr. Mark Miller

Dr. Smith actively engages students in research projects, fostering their emotional and academic growth. She has led community grief support initiatives and integrated her scholarly focus on religious and social dynamics into classroom practice.