Richard A. Smith (1932–2017)[1] was an American physician who was part of the five-person[2] team composing the Surgeon General's Office of Equal Health Opportunity (OEHO), which was charged with desegregating US hospitals in the mid-1960s.
[11] Smith obtained a BS and an MD from Howard University in 1953 and 1957, respectively.
[12] He completed his residency in public health and preventive medicine at the University of Washington.
[12] Smith was elected into the National Academy of Medicine in 1972.
[13] He received a Rockefeller Public Service Award in 1981 "for developing new methods of health care"[14] and a Retired Commissioned Officers Recognition Award from the US Public Health Service in 1999.