Jennifer Smith-Grady, ARNP

Jennifer Smith-Grady is a nurse practitioner, dual certified in Family Practice as well as Psychiatric-Mental Health across the lifespan. Jennifer completed her foundational nursing education at Henry Ford Community College in 2005, then returning to school to complete her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Detroit-Mercy in 2011. Her formative nursing years were spent at a major teaching institution, Henry Ford Hospital, and included work in acute nephrology, medical critical care, bronchoscopy, home care, and transfer/bed management. Her experience in the hospital setting, primarily in the ICU, highlighted the need for primary care treatment to decrease negative outcomes such as severe illness requiring ICU care. She completed her training as a family nurse practitioner at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2016.
Observing the relationship between chronic disease and mental health while working in family practice is one of the motivating factors that led to a return to graduate school for additional training through Regis College leading to board certification in 2026 as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. She believes that recognizing the role of trauma in chronic conditions, including mental illness, is critical in seeing the whole person and meeting them where they stand. Jennifer’s goal is to use her training and experience to reduce stigma through education. Her practice style is collaborative, whole person centered, and conservative regarding the use of medication. Medication is a tool and just one part of a whole treatment plan.
Jennifer is originally from Michigan, having been raised just outside of Detroit. She is the first in her family to complete college. She originally fell in love with PNW and Port Angeles during her first time here working as a travel nurse practitioner for this clinic in 2018. She has family, including two grown children, out of state who she visits whenever she can. She enjoys reading, camping, and loves kayaking. She found her way back to the LEKT in 2022 and is grateful to remain serving this community.