August– Resident Spotlight
Mr. Smithwick has been a resident at Riverwood since May of 2020.
Mr. Smithwick received a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Biology, with a Minor in Psychology, and later received a Master’s Degree in Biology from Stetson University in DeLand, FL. He began his working career with the CDC as a lab tech microbiologist. Mr. Smithwick traveled to many of the most infectious areas around the world – Germany, Russia, the Philippines, and Nigeria. His specialty became detecting and discovering tuberculosis through different microscopy techniques. He was sent to many state labs around the world that were losing their battles with detecting the deadly disease.
He taught employees how to operate the microscopes, as well as ways to detect tuberculosis bacteria with the help of microscopy. He attended many scientific meetings around the world as a representative of the World of Health Associations. The CDC brought him back to the United States to assist with the SARS virus. Mr. Smithwick worked for the CDC for 39 years before retiring. The Riverwood community would like to thank Mr. Smithwick for all his hard work for the CDC, and all he did over the course of his important career.