Richard (Dick) Fine, M.D, received his M.D. from Cornell University, he completed his internship and residency at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). It was during this time that he became exposed to social and political activism. Under the mentorship of Philip Shapiro, he served as the primary physician for the Black Panther Party. As a member of the Medical Committee of Human Rights (MCHR), he provided medical assistance at Altamont, the 1968 San Francisco State Strike and the Occupation of Alcatraz.

He was the Medical and Project Director for the Prisoner’s Health Project which sought to improve conditions for jail inmates. He established the first inpatient security ward at SFGH which is now considered a model program for jail health medical services across the country. He organized the first outpatient medical clinic at SFGH and served as its director for 25 years. As Assistant Chief of the UCSF-SFGH Primary Care Residency he helped design and implement a program that trained doctors to work with poor and vulnerable patients. After the bustle that was the 60’s and 70’s, Fine continued working on programs and services that would help the disadvantaged until his death in 2015.