Dr. James Smith received his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and completed his internal medicine training at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. After completing his gastroenterology fellowship at Ochsner Foundation Hospital, he participated in a research fellowship at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine. Dr. Smith joined the Ochsner Medical staff in 1986. He also continued as a collaborating investigator with UCLA-CURE: Digestive Diseases Research Center, a collaboration which led to Ochsner becoming a participating center in multiple randomized control trials for the treatment of bleeding ulcers. Dr. Smith is a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and has served on the board of governors for the American College of Gastroenterology, representing the state of Louisiana. He is past chairman of the gastroenterology and hepatology department from 2003-2006. Dr. Smith has previously served as program director of the fellowship program, and as medical director for the endoscopy center. He also served as medical staff present of Ochsner Foundation Hospital from 1999-2000. Dr. Smith is currently seeing patients with a wide variety of gastrointestinal problems and diseases, as well as doing endoscopic procedures including endoscopies and colonoscopies.