Christopher B. Smithers
2014-2018 President
Christopher B. Smithers, the President of the Smithers Foundation, and my husband and best friend, passed away on December 30, 2018.
Chris dedicated his life to help people battling addiction and to further our understanding of the science behind addiction and to identify more effective treatments. The Smithers Foundation was created in 1952 by Chris’ father, R. Brinkley Smithers, to honor the memory of his father, Christopher D. Smithers.
Today we renew that commitment and pledge to continue Chris’ work to treat addiction as a medical condition and to fight the stigma associated with all addictions, including the epidemic of opioid use disorder we are currently confronting.
Chris believed in the combined power of compassion and research. By showing compassion to our fellow humans we could better help them and refrain from judgment. Equally, by investing in research we could better understand the science behind addiction and develop more effective treatments.
Chris was only 50 years old, and the father of our four children: Brinkley, Christopher, Adelina, and Nicholas. We will forever miss Chris, his love, enthusiasm and dedication to this work. And we will find solace in continuing that work, supported by the Board and staff of the Foundation.