Richard A. Smith (1932–2017) was an American physician who was part of the five-person team composing the Surgeon General's Office of Equal Health Opportunity (OEHO), which was charged with desegregating US hospitals in the mid-1960s. Smith developed one of the first Physician Assistant (PA) training programs in the US, MEDEX, and later founded MEDEX International.

Early life and education

Smith obtained a BS and an MD from

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

in 1953 and 1957, respectively. He completed his residency in public health and preventive medicine at the University of Washington. Smith obtained an MPH from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1960.

Awards and honors

Smith was elected into the

National Academy of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...

in 1972. He received a Rockefeller Public Service Award in 1981 "for developing new methods of health care" and a Retired Commissioned Officers Recognition Award from the US Public Health Service in 1999.

Select publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Richard 20th-century African-American physicians 20th-century American physicians 1932 births 2017 deaths 21st-century African-American people Members of the National Academy of Medicine