About me
Lauren Smith, MD, MHS, is a board-certified rheumatologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University who sees patients in the rheumatology clinic at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. She cares for patients with all types of rheumatic disease, with expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory arthritis, myositis, sarcoidosis, and vasculitis.
Dr. Smith’s is an active member of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Currently, she serves as a member of the Collaborative Initiatives Committee, which directly aligns with her interest of community outreach to both physicians and patients to bridge gaps caused by health disparities. Her research to date has focused on evaluating tools to improve communication with patients with scleroderma. She has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including Arthritis Care & Research and Current Rheumatology Reports. Dr. Smith is also actively involved in clinical research trials to investigate therapies for scleroderma and systemic lupus erythematosus.
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 where she also earned a master’s in clinical investigation. As a medical 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
- Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus
- Inflammatory Arthritis
- Inflammatory Myositis
- Sarcoidosis
- Scleroderma
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Vasculitis
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- ANCA-Associated Vasculitis
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Antisynthetase Syndrome
- Axial Spondyloarthritis
- Behcet's Disease
- Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus
- Dermatomyositis
- Discoid Lupus
- Eosinophilic Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis
- Gout
- Iga Vasculitis
- Igg4-Related Disease
- Immune-Mediated Necrotizing Myopathy
- Inflammatory Arthritis
- Inflammatory Myositis
- Inflammatory Spondylopathies
- Interstitial Lung Disease
- Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis
- Lupus Nephritis
- Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Polyarteritis Nodosa
- Pseudogout
- Psoriatic Arthritis
- Raynaud's Disease
- Relapsing Polychondritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Sarcoidosis
- Scleroderma
- Sjogren's Syndrome
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Takayasu Arteritis
- Vasculitis
Procedures I perform
- Arthrocentesis
- Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDS)
- Infusion Therapy
- Modified Rodnan Skin Score (IN SCLERODERMA)
- Nailfold Capillaroscopy (EVALUATION OF RAYNAUD’S DISEASE)
Practice locations
Distance from Change LocationEnter your Location
3800 Reservoir Rd NW Pasquerilla Healthcare Center 6th Fl Washington, DC, 20007
202-444-7547Fax 202-444-7797
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.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- Aetna Better Health of VA
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv. Special Needs Plans
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthy Families
- CareFirst Administrators
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice 3-tier POS
- Geisinger Medicare Advantage
- Navigate
- OCI Direct (HMO)
- CareFirst Community Health Plan of MD
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- United Healthcare Select HMO-EPO/NPP Cardiac Global
- Aetna Advantage 5750
- Kaiser Permanente Signature - Added Choice
- CareFirst Federal Employee Program (Std. & Basic PPO)
- Medicare Direct
- TRICARE East Select
- Employee Health Plan
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Magellan Complete Care of VA - VA Medicaid MCO
- CareFirst Blue Card Program
- CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
- CareFirst BlueChoice HMO
- CareFirst Dual Prime HMO-SNP
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- CIGNA HMO Open Access
- NYC Medicare Advantage Plus
- MD IPA (HMO) & MD IPA Preferred Cardiac Global
- Options PPO Cardiac Global
- Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
- Police and Fire Clinic
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS)
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- MultiPlan, Inc
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS Cardiac Global
- Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- Erickson Advantage Plans
- HealthyBlue PPO
- UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- Aetna Better Health of MD
- TriWest Healthcare Alliance
- IH-Open POS Plus
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Priority Partners - Maryland Health Choice
- Fee-for-Service (FFS) District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia Medicaid
- POS OA
- BCBS Out-of-State Medicare Plans (Blue Advantage)
- CareFirst Blue Preferred PPO
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PPO
- Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO)
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
- Aetna Basic
- Aetna Medicare Advantage PFFS Plan
- CIGNA Connect EPO
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- Kaiser Permanente Select Cardiac Global
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- Private Fee-for-Service Plans (PFFS)
- Aetna Advantage 6350PD
- IH-Open Network Only Plus
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- United Healthcare Choice Plus Cardiac Global
- Aetna Classic 5000
- IH-EPO Plus
- Cigna Preferred Medicare (HMO)
- Advantra Platinum (PPO)
- Aetna HMO
- First Health PPO
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- IH-POS Plus
- Humana Gold Plus HMO
- HumanaChoice Honor's plan PPO
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
- United Healthcare Choice Cardiac Global
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (POS & POS OA)
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue SNP
- BCBS of Michigan (BCN Advantage,Security Blue, Freedom, Medicare PLUS Blue Group PPO)
- IH-Open HMO
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- IH-Indemnity
- CIGNA Indemnity
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- Choice POS II
- CIGNA SureFit (HMO)
- IH-Open EPO Plus
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans
- HUMANA/Choice Care Medicare Plans (Choice, Gold Choice)
- UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans (HMO, POS, PPO)
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Private Health Care Systems (PPO)
- BlueChoice Open Access
- OA Plus
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- IH-HMO
- CIGNA PPO Plus
- Aetna Premier 200PD
- Medicare Advantage - Advantra Value (PPO)
- Optimum Choice & Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) Cardiac Global
- IH-Open HMO Option
- Humana Medicare Advantage - HMO Open Access
- Optimum Choice
- First Health PPO
- TRICARE for Life East
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Standard
- CareFirst Maryland Point of Service Plan
- Beech Street PPO
- Kaiser Permanente Select - Added Choice
- Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
- Medicare FFS
- Aetna Advantage 6350
- Amerigroup DC Alliance
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
- Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
- Amerigroup DC Healthy Families
- TRICARE East Prime
- Aetna VA Exchange
- CareFirst EPO
- Network OA
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- Lasso Healthcare - Medicare Medical Savings Account
- United Healthcare Options (PPO)
- WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
- HighMark
- IH-Network Only Plus
- Kaiser Permanente HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
- Tricare Reserve Select
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
- United Healthcare Choice
- Choice Fund PPO
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD HMO
- CIGNA EPO
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PLUS PPO
- Jai Medical Systems - Maryland Health Choice
- IH-Open POS II
- CIGNA PPO
- Sentara Health
- United Student Resources
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
- CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Basic
- CareFirst FEP Blue Focus
- Core Essential (HMO)
- IH-POS
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
- Anthem BCBS of VA Key Care POS/PPO/Indemnity
- IH-PPO
- HumanaChoice PPO
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus
- DC/MD SHOP QHP Small Business Plans
- UHC Passport
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers Plus
- Kaiser Permaenete Signature - Added Choice Cardiac Global
- Aetna Classic 5000PD
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (HMO)
- CareFirst MedStar PPO
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
- Alterwood Advanatge HMO & DSNP Plans
- Aetna Classic 3500
- AMERIVANTAGE/Amerigroup Community Care
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
- Optima Family Care MCO - VA Medicaid MCO
- Choice POS II Open Access
- United Healthcare Community Plan - VA Medicaid MCO
- United Healthcare Navigate Cardiac Global
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthcare Alliance
- Health Services for Children with Special Needs
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Plus
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO) Cardiac Global
- Blue Choice Advantage
- Humana Medicare Advantage - PPO
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
- Choice POS
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Dual Adv
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- CareFirst NASCO
- Maryland Physicians Care MCO
- Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- United Medicare Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans
- CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Advantage Core/Enhanced
- Uniformed Services Family Health Plan
- United HealthCare Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
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)