Heidi AB Smith MD, MSCI is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She received her medical degree from the University of South Dakota School of Medicine and her postgraduate residency training in Pediatrics and Anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University followed by fellowships in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Pediatric Anesthesiology also at Vanderbilt.  Dr. Smith also completed a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) and was a scholar in the Vanderbilt Mentored Clinical Research Scholar Program (VCRS).  Dr. Smith is an expert in the area of acute brain dysfunction and neurobehavioral outcomes following critical illness. Dr. Smith created and validated pediatric specific tools for the screening of pediatric delirium (the Preschool and Pediatric Confusion Assessment Methods for the ICU). Dr. Smith also has received NHLBI funding to support the mini-MENDS study (Maximizing the Efficacy of Goal-Directed Sedation to Reduce Neurological Dysfunction in Mechanically Ventilated Infants and Children Study) which is a randomized controlled trial comparing dexmedetomidine versus midazolam, to determine the best sedative medication to reduce delirium and improve the duration of mechanical ventilation, and functional, psychiatric, and cognitive recovery in our most vulnerable patients—survivors of pediatric critical illness.