Michael L. Smitherman, M.D.
Dr. Smitherman was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He developed an interest in medicine and rheumatology at an early age when his grandmother was diagnosed with a rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma overlap syndrome. He attended the University of Alabama School of Medicine, graduating in 1995. He then completed a residency in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center- Miami Beach, Florida. He practiced internal medicine in Cumming, Georgia, and Tucker, Georgia, between 1998 to 2001. After which he completed a fellowship in rheumatology at the University of Florida, Gainesville, to achieve his goal of becoming a rheumatologist. While at the University of Florida, he was awarded an AMGEN fellowship award. As an AMGEN fellow he completed research in systemic lupus erythematosus which was presented at the American College of Rheumatology national meeting in 2003. He published research in fibromyalgia in Current Pain and Headache Reports (August, 2002) with Dr. Roland Staud (author of Fibromyalgia for Dummies) and completed research with Dr. N. Larry Edwards on new and emerging therapies for gouty arthritis. He is board certified in Rheumatology and board eligible in internal medicine.