Her work focuses on the way that institutions (health and development) shape the health care of marginalized women. Her research takes place in both rural and urban settings in Mexico. Professor Smith-Oka’s current research focuses on the factors that affect the loss of empathy among medical students and its effect on the health of impoverished populations. Her previous work investigated the effect of large scale health and development policies on the motherhood of marginalized women. Recent publications include: 2012 - Bodies of Risk: Constructing Motherhood in a Mexican Public Hospital. Social Science and Medicine 75(12):2275–2282.