Originally from a small farming town in New Mexico, Dr. Sheila Smitherman attended Rice University in Houston, TX where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Biochemistry and competed on the Cross Country and Track & Field teams. She completed medical school and both her general surgery and neurosurgery residencies at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. After completing her training she joined the Providence Neurosurgery team building her practice before joining the neurosurgery team at Olympia Orthopaedic Associates in the fall of 2023.

Dr. Smitherman’s clinical interests include spinal procedures such as spinal cord tumors, vertebral tumors, degenerative spine pathology, peripheral nerve surgerycarpal tunnel, ulnar nerve, and schwannomas of the peripheral nervous system. In her free time, Dr. Smitherman enjoys running, hiking, bicycling, and competing in triathlons. She has completed in 16 marathons and 8 Ironman triathlon events. She spends as much time outside with her husband and 4 children.