Dr. Smith is a Georgia native Medical Director of Emergency Medicine at Northside Gwinnett Medical Center where he oversees staffing, scheduling, operations, and budget of one of Georgia’s busiest emergency departments. Having completed his residency program and clinical fellowship at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Smith joined the Gwinnett Emergency Specialists Practice at Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, Georgia. In addition to his primary responsibilities at his practice, he also volunteered to serve as a Tactical Medicine Support Physician with the Norcross Police Department- SWAT program.

Dr. Smith brings both personal experience and a vast medical background to the medical cannabis movement in Georgia. In 2014, Dr. Smith founded and chaired the not-for-profit, Oil for Epilepsy, driven by his daughter’s diagnosis of severe Intractable Seizure Disorder, and her subsequent successes under a regular dose of Cannabinoid Oil. His perpetual efforts to establish a Medical Cannabis program in Georgia were instrumental in not only seeing the law passed, but also expanding the State’s list of qualified conditions to 14. Dr. Smith currently resides in Georgia and spent a period of time commuting from Colorado for the medical benefit of his 13- year-old daughter who uses a low-THC oil for the treatment of her seizures.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Smith has earned a reputation as a principled and highly competent leader in the Medical field. He currently serves as the President of the Georgia College of Emergency Medicine (GCEP), the Chairman of the Georgia Medical Political Action Committee (GAMPAC), and the Second Vice President of the Medical Association of Georgia, is on the Governors COVID-19 task force, and is committed to using his role as a leader in the medical community to advocate for political change that directly benefits patients in Georgia.

His research has been published in three peer reviewed medical journals, and he looks forward to applying his research experience to help Georgia effectively design medical based cannabis treatments beginning with patient reported studies and eventually moving to double blind placebo-based gold standard medical research. In this way, he hopes to help bridge the gap between patients and chemists and ensure the highest safety standard in all cannabis-based medicines.

With an outstanding track record advancing Cannabis integration into modern medicinal-care programs, Dr. Smith is uniquely poised to lead our Medical Advisory Board made up of Georgia’s leading medical experts in pharmaceutical and patient care. The Medical Advisory Board will combine the experience of healthcare providers, specializing in emergency medicine, pain management, sleep disorders, mental health and other areas, committed to promoting a safe, compassionate clinical experience and science-based medical cannabis treatment options. Members of the Medical Advisory Board have specialties that represent each of the qualifying conditions approved in Georgia for low-THC oil use. Dr. Smith is looking forward to educating the medical community and patients on the applications and therapeutic uses of low-THC oil while paving a path forward to a safe and effective medical cannabis program in Georgia. Our Medical Advisory Board will be led by Dr. James Smith, Georgia Atlas Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director of Emergency Medicine, Northside Gwinnett Medical Center. With an outstanding track record advancing Cannabis integration into modern medicinal-care programs, Dr. Smith is uniquely poised to lead our Medical Advisory Board made up of Georgia’s leading medical experts in pharmaceutical and patient care. Dr. Smith’s research has been published in three peer reviewed medical journals, and he looks forward to applying his research experience to help Georgia effectively design medical based cannabis treatments beginning with patient reported studies and eventually moving to double blind placebo-based gold standard medical research. In this way, he hopes to help bridge the gap between patients and chemists and ensure the highest safety standard in all cannabis-based medicines. Members of the Medical Advisory Board have specialties that represent each of the qualifying conditions approved in Georgia for low-THC oil use. Dr. Smith is looking forward to educating the medical community and patients on the applications and therapeutic uses of low-THC oil while paving a path forward to a safe and effective medical cannabis program in Georgia. Other key members of the Medical Advisory Board and descriptions of their experience follow.

Dr. Sarah Vinson is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at Morehouse School of Medicine, one of four historically Black medical schools in the country established with the purpose of training minority students to become physicians, biomedical scientists, and public health professionals. Dr. Sarah Vinson is a Triple Board-Certified physician who specializes in adult, child & adolescent, and forensic psychiatry. As an African American woman leader in the forensic psychiatry space, she is the founder of the Lorio Psych Group, an Atlanta based mental health practice providing expert care and consultation. Dr. Vinson’s psychiatric experience working with people with criminal histories of drug use gives her a unique understanding of the impact of cannabis legalization on the community, including children and their families. Her interest in the cannabis movement in Georgia lies in helping to strike a balance between protecting those as risk in the community and decriminalizing behaviors with reason. Dr. Vinson’s expertise and perspective will play a pivotal role as part of the Georgia Atlas Medical Advisory Board in ensuring medical cannabis policies positively impact Georgia communities while patients receive the healthcare they need.

Dr. Lisa Perry-Gilkes has been a practicing physician in Georgia for over 20 years. As president of the Medical Association of Georgia she leads the largest physician’s advocacy organization in the state. She is a board-certified ENT-otolaryngologist and the Chief Medical Officer at the Ear, Nose & Throat Institute, where she treats patients suffering from sleep disorders. Attracted by its wide range of patients and the integration of medical and surgical treatments, Dr. Perry-Gilkes pursued her career as an ENT specialist after earning her medical degree from Howard University and completing her residency at King Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles. As current MAG President, Dr. Perry-Gilkes is focused on a few key issues – including COVID-19, social justice and health equity, health insurance, Medicaid pay, physician wellness and resilience, patient safety, and scope of practice. Her medical experience coupled with her awareness of current issues affecting the medical community in Georgia offer a unique perspective to Georgia Atlas. In addition to MAG, Dr. Perry-Gilkes is a member of the Georgia State Medical Association, the Medical Association of Atlanta, the Atlanta Medical Association, and the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery where she chaired its diversity committee. As a member of the Georgia Atlas Medical Advisory Board, she looks forward to helping Georgia Atlas pave the way for safe and effective prescription of medicinal cannabis treatments for patients in Georgia.

Andrew Reisman, MD, is a board-certified family physician with the Longstreet Clinic, where he has delivered consistent quality care to patients in Georgia for over 20 years. As former President of the Medical Association of Georgia (MAG), Dr. Reisman has been a leader in the Georgia medical community, advocating for patient rights, addressing issues affecting physicians in every practice setting, and helping to improve patient and physician experience in Georgia. Most recently, as part of Governor Kemp’s Task Force on Covid-19, Dr. Reisman helped develop consensus among medical leaders in Georgia to advise the Governor on the Covid-19 global pandemic and provide recommendations. He was appointed by Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan to serve on the Senate Task Force on Tort Reform, and he currently serves on the Georgia Composite Medical Board, responsible for approving Georgia Medical Licenses and Laser Practitioner Licenses, creating regulations for medical practice in Georgia and ensuring compliance with the medical board. His active leadership in the medical community and his medical compliance experience makes Dr. Reisman uniquely qualified to help Georgia Atlas produce a high-quality and effective pharmaceutical grade low-THC oil that is safe for patients. Throughout his nearly 30 years as a family physician, Dr. Reisman has worked directly with patients who have a history of chronic conditions, from headaches and Crohn's disease to seizures, that medical cannabis may help treat. Dr. Reisman views his role with Georgia Atlas as key to helping patients get access to safe treatments. In addition, Dr. Reisman is a member of the Hall County Medical Society, the American Medical Association, and the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians. He earned his medical degree at the University of Miami and completed his residency at the University of Maryland.