Joe Smith helps life sciences organizations generate evidence that changes decisions—not evidence that simply fills another report. He works with clients to define the question that matters, choose the data and methods that can credibly answer it, and turn the findings into a clear course of action for clinical development, commercialization, and patient access. Joe begins with the decision at stake, then builds the evidence needed to support it. He works with clinical, medical affairs, market access, and commercial teams on questions that claims data and clinical trials cannot answer alone: why diagnosis is delayed, where patients leave care, what drives treatment switching, and which interventions could improve outcomes. His work in rare disease, immunology, and cardiorenal-metabolic conditions has informed launch strategy, market access positioning, label-expansion planning, and medical engagement. His research combines real-world evidence with qualitative and patient-generated data, surveys, causal inference, and machine learning. He brings together sources that are often analyzed separately—including patient narratives, claims, clinical data, and survey findings—to clarify what is happening and what teams should do next. Before joining Avalere Health, Joe was Senior Director of Scientific Solutions & Strategy at Inspire, where he led mixed-methods research for biopharmaceutical clinical and commercial teams. Earlier, as Associate Director at Carelon Research, he led real-world evidence programs for top-20 biopharmaceutical companies and advised on digital therapeutics and diagnostics. Joe also teaches graduate courses in biostatistics, research methods, and health policy at Thomas Jefferson University. He holds a PhD in Health Services Research and Public Health from the University of South Florida; an MBA in Healthcare, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School; and an MPH in Health Policy and Management from Kent State University. He also earned undergraduate degrees in Psychology/Pre-Medicine and Molecular and Cellular Biology from Kent State University.