Lauren Nichole Smith, MD| Rheumatology | MedStar Health
Lauren Nichole Smith

Lauren Nichole Smith, MD
Provider is directly employed by MedStar Health

4.9 out of 5 (158 reviews)

Specialties: Rheumatology

Languages: English

877-625-1471

About me

Lauren Smith, MD, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained rheumatologist. She sees patients at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Department of Rheumatology. Her areas of special interest and expertise include lupus, myositis, and rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of inflammatory arthritis.

Dr. Smith’s research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including Current Rheumatology Reports and Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. She has also been a presenter at the Congress of Clinical Rheumatology and other professional meetings. Dr. Smith is a member of the American College of Physicians, the American Medical Association, and the American College of Rheumatology, where she is a member of the Collaborative Initiatives Committee, which is focused on outreach to community physicians and bridging the gaps caused by health disparities.

Her philosophy of care is centered on shared decision making with her patients. She takes the time to educate every patient about their condition so they can understand the disease and recommended treatment plan.

Dr. Smith earned her medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, Florida. She completed her residency at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas and a fellowship in rheumatology at Johns Hopkins University. As a student, she shared her medical skills as a volunteer for DR Salud, a medical mission trip to the Dominican Republic, and as a volunteer for Equal Access Clinic in Gainesville, Florida.

When she’s not working, Dr. Smith enjoys exercising and traveling. She’s also a big basketball fan and played the sport competitively throughout high school and college.

Clinical areas of focus

  • Arthritis
  • Gout
  • Myositis
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Scleroderma
  • Sjogrens
  • Spondyloarthropathy
  • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
  • Vasculitis
Show More

Conditions and procedures

Conditions I treat

  • Acute Arthritis
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Anti Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies
  • Antiphospholipid Syndrome
  • Antisynthetase Syndrome
  • Aortic Arteritis
  • Arthralgia
  • Arthritis
  • Arthritis Associated With Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Arthritis Of Multiple Joints
  • Arthropathy
  • Behcet Syndrome
  • Calcium Pyrophosphate Deposition Disease
  • Cranial Arteritis
  • Crest
  • Crystalline Arthritis
  • Cutaneous Vasculitis
  • Dermatomyositis
  • Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
  • Enthesitis
  • Erythema Nodosum
  • Familial Mediterranean Fever
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Giant Cell Arteritis
  • Gonococcal Arthritis
  • Gout
  • Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis
  • Iga Vasculitis
  • Igg 4 Related Diseases
  • Inflammatory Arthritis (IA)
  • Inflammatory Myopathy
  • Inflammatory Polyarthropathy
  • Isolated Central Nervous System Vasculitis
  • Joint Disorder Of Multiple Joints
  • Joint Effusion
  • Joint Swelling
  • Lupus Nephritis
  • Macrophage Activation Syndrome
  • Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
  • Monoarticular Arthritis
  • Myositis
  • Neonatal Lupus Erythematosus
  • Ocular Sarcoidosis
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Osteoporosis
  • Periodic Fever Syndromes
  • Polyarteritis Nodosa
  • Polyarthralgia
  • Polyarthropathy
  • Polychondritis
  • Polymyalgia Rheumatica
  • Polymyositis
  • Positive Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) Test
  • Positive Ccp
  • Positive Rf
  • Post Infectious Arthritis
  • Pseudogout
  • Psoriatic Arthritis
  • Raynaud's Disease
  • Reactive Arthritis
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Sacroiliitis
  • Sarcoidosis
  • Scleroderma
  • Sjogrens
  • Spondyloarthropathy
  • Still's Disease
  • Synovitis
  • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
  • Systemic Scleroderma
  • Tenosynovitis
  • Tophus
  • Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease
  • Uveitis
  • Vasculitis
  • Wrist Arthritis
Show All Show Less

Procedures I perform

  • Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) Blood Test
  • Biologic Therapy For Rheumatologic Diseases
  • Human Leukocyte Antigen B27 Test
  • Joint Injection
  • Non Surgical Management Of Osteoarthritis
Show All button Press enter to expand Show Less

Practice locations

Distance from Change LocationEnter your Location

3800 Reservoir Road Northwest
Pasquerilla Healthcare Center 3rd Fl
Washington, DC, 20007

202-444-6200

Fax 877-625-1471

Get Directions

miles away

Fax 877-625-1471

Insurance

MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.

  • List of insurance plans we accept
    • CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
    • Cigna HMO & Network (HMO)
    • HealthyBlue PPO
    • Carefirst EPO
    • Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
    • CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
    • United Select Plus (POS)
    • Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
    • Innovation Health: HMO & EPO Plus
    • Kaiser HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
    • Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
    • United Core Essential (HMO)
    • Carefirst BlueChoice Opt Out Open Access
    • Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
    • Anthem (POS & Open Access POS) BCBS of VA HealthKeepers
    • Cigna Indemnity
    • Carefirst Healthy Blue (HMO/POS)
    • United Optimum Choice
    • Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
    • Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
    • United Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
    • Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
    • Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO) |
    • CareFirst MedStar PPO
    • CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
    • Kaiser Flexible Choice
    • CareFirst NASCO
    • Aetna Choice POS & Choice POS II
    • Medicaid - District of Columbia
    • Cigna POS Open Access & Open Access Plus
    • Anthem Plus BCBS of VA HealthKeepers Plus
    • Kaiser Medicare Plus
    • Beech Street PPO
    • United MD IPA (HMO)
    • Kaiser Signature
    • United GEHA (for all other states) Compass Rose
    • Innovation Health: PPO
    • Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
    • Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
    • United Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
    • CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
    • CareFirst BC/BS Advantage Core/Enhanced
    • United Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
    • Kaiser Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
    • CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
    • Carefirst Blue Preferred PPO
    • United Group Medicare Advantage Plans
    • Tricare for Life East
    • United Erickson Advantage Plans
    • United Mamsi Life & Health
    • HumanaChoice PPO
    • Cigna HMO Open Access
    • Medicaid - Virginia
    • Cigna Choice Fund PPO
    • Traditional Medicare Fee for Service
    • HumanaChoice Honor’s plan PPO
    • Cigna EPO
    • Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
    • Medicaid - Maryland
    • Aetna HMO
    • Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
    • Health Services for Children with Special Needs (HSCSN)
    • Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
    • Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
    • Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA
    • CareFirst Blue Card Program (Out-of-area BCBS plans)
    • Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
    • Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
    • Tricare Reserve Select
    • Innovation Health: POS
    • United Navigate
    • Aetna HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
    • WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
    • Innovation Health: POS Plus
    • Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
    • Virginia Premier
    • Aetna Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
    • Carefirst BlueChoice HMO
    • Aetna Open HMO/Open HMO Option/Open EPO Plus
    • UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
    • Innovation Health: Open POS II
    • Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
    • Innovation Health: Indemnity
    • Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
    • Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
    • MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
    • Carefirst BlueChoice Open Access
    • Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
    • MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
    • I-SNP
    • Veterans Affairs Community Care Network (VA CCN)
    • United Student Resources
    • Police and Fire Clinic
    • United MD IPA Preferred (POS)
    • Cigna POS/Network POS
    • Cigna Network Open Access
    • United Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO)
    • United AARP Medicare Complete
    • United Golden Rule
    • Cigna Preferred Medicare
    • Anthem HMO - BCBS of VA HealthKeepers
    • Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
    • Tricare East Select
    • United Nursing Home Plan (C-SNP
    • United Select HMO - EPO/NPP
    • Kaiser Select-Added Choice
    • Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
    • Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
    • Carefirst BlueChoice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
    • United Choice Plus
    • Aetna Student Health Insurance
    • Kaiser Select
    • CareFirst Administrators
    • Cigna PPO and PPO Plus
    • WellPoint Maryland
    • United Choice
    • Tricare East Prime
    • D-SNP)
    • Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
    • Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
    • Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
    • Coventry Health Care of Virginia
    • MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
    • First Health PPO

Education

Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology

Fellowship: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2022)

Residency: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (2018)

Medical School: University of Florida (2015)

Ratings and reviews

  • Explanations the care provider gave you about your problem or condition

    4.9
  • Extent to which the care provider listened to you

    4.9
  • Care provider’s discussion of any proposed treatment (options, risks, benefits, etc.)

    4.9
  • Care provider’s efforts to include you in decisions about your care

    4.9
  • Concern the care provider showed for your questions or worries

    4.9
  • Likelihood of recommending this care provider to others

    4.9
  • Jul 31, 2024

    She was one of the best Dr's I have seen.

  • Jul 30, 2024

    Dr Lauren Smith is an excellent and caring doctor!

  • Jul 19, 2024

    Dr. L. Smith is an excellent listener, highly professional, and clearly competent and knowledgeable.