UNIONDALE, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 21, 2026 / Marquis Who's Who, the trusted biographical authority documenting accomplished professionals since 1899, is proud to announce that Jewel Montgomery Smay, MD, MBA - founder, president and chief executive officer of Montgomery Anesthesia Service P.C. - has been interviewed and honored for her distinguished contributions to pediatric anesthesiology, patient safety and team-based clinical leadership. Dr. Smay's recognition reflects sustained professional achievement, visibility and a values-driven approach to caring for the most vulnerable patients.

A dual board-certified anesthesiologist with fellowship training in pediatrics, Dr. Smay built her career around one principle: radical presence at the bedside. "The present moment is the most important thing," she says, describing the mindfulness that allows anesthesiologists to set aside distraction, manage fear and focus wholly on the patient in front of them-even when caring for extremely fragile infants in the operating room. Her philosophy emphasizes empathy for patients who are unconscious and wholly dependent on their care teams, and it underpins a decade-plus of high-acuity practice across leading Oklahoma health systems.

Dr. Smay's pathway combines rigorous clinical training with executive preparation. After completing a BS in psychology at Duke University in 1995 and earning her MD from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 2007, she pursued a residency in anesthesiology from 2007 to 2011 and a pediatric anesthesiology fellowship the following year at the same institution. She later returned to Duke for an MBA in Health Sector Management at the Fuqua School of Business, deepening the operational skill set she brings to modern care delivery. She is board-certified in anesthesiology and pediatric anesthesiology.

Since founding Montgomery Anesthesia Service in 2013, Dr. Smay has served children and families across Tulsa and beyond while advancing safety, reliability and teamwork in the operating room. Her leadership experience includes service as regional medical director for NorthStar Anesthesia for one year and medical director for NorthStar Anesthesia in Muskogee, OK, for three years, roles in which she mentored clinicians, strengthened quality initiatives and scaled multi-site performance. Earlier, she practiced pediatric anesthesiology at Hillcrest Healthcare System, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, where she also served as assistant professor, and St. John Health System.

In her Marquis Who's Who interview, Dr. Smay describes medicine as a team sport and looks ahead to how artificial intelligence will join that team-improving speed, reducing errors and strengthening quality control when guided by responsible physicians with deep risk-management experience. She welcomes the promise of AI while calling for thoughtful oversight: anesthesiologists, she notes, are trained to anticipate and mitigate risk in real time-skills that should inform how new tools are designed and deployed. "I feel excited by it," she says, so long as caring, well-trained physicians help steward its use.

Dr. Smay's professional memberships include the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Society for Pediatric Anesthesiology and the American Board of Anesthesiologists. A continuous learner, she completed the Black Corporate Board Readiness (BCBR) Program and serves on the Board of Advisors of Transdermal Solutions LLC-preparation that aligns with her goal to contribute at the enterprise level while maintaining a patient-first lens. She is the recipient of NorthStar Anesthesia's One Team Award.

Asked what she wants readers to know, Dr. Smay points to the why behind her work: caring for people at their most vulnerable. Under anesthesia, patients cannot advocate for themselves; that knowledge fuels her presence, attentiveness and calm, especially in high-stakes pediatric cases. She credits mindfulness, curiosity and lifelong learning as the habits that sustain performance in one of medicine's most demanding specialties.

Looking ahead, Dr. Smay plans to expand her leadership impact with aspirations to serve in an operating leadership or C-suite role, and to bring her voice to a Fortune 500 board. She also hopes to advance access to high-quality care for underserved populations worldwide, pairing clinical expertise with operational insight to help health systems deliver safer, more reliable and more equitable care. Outside the OR, she prioritizes family life with her two daughters, Jacquelynn and Juliet, and stays grounded through yoga and golf.

"Dr. Smay exemplifies the patient-centered leadership we aim to chronicle," said the Marquis Who's Who editorial team. "Her combination of clinical excellence, mindfulness and operational acumen represents the best of modern medicine - and a compelling blueprint for its future."

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SOURCE: Marquis Who's Who