Awards & Honors

Vincent Smith, MD, Named 2025 Ascend Fellow

Vincent Smith, MD, professor of pediatrics has been named a 2025 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow. He joins 19 leaders from across the U.S. who are transforming systems in the pursuit of prosperity and well-being for children and families. From local and state government to postsecondary institutions to hospitals, Fellows represent a broad cross-sector of changemakers united by one vision: creating a better future for families. Smith serves as professor of pediatrics and division chief of newborn medicine at Boston Medical Center.

The 2025 Ascend Fellows cohort reflects Ascend’s commitment to serving all families, with representation from 14 states and the District of Columbia; demographics that match the diversity of the nation; and leadership across family-centered systems and sectors. With the addition of the 2025 cohort, there are now 182 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellows across the country building pathways to intergenerational family prosperity and well-being. Click here to learn more about the full network of Ascend Fellow alumni.

By focusing deeply on the local, 2025 Ascend Fellows are addressing both personal and public forms of intergenerational trauma and advocating for the rights of their neighbors. Across states, Fellows are providing practical pathways to family prosperity like reimagined cash and housing assistance and new avenues for civic engagement. Many are also creating ways for parents and children to thrive by transforming the postsecondary education landscape, including at community colleges and Tribal and historically Black colleges and universities. 

Ascend at the Aspen Institute is a catalyst and convener for diverse leaders working across systems and sectors to build intergenerational family prosperity and well-being by intentionally focusing on children and the adults in their lives together. The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners.