Doctor David E. Smith, MD, founder of the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic, is being honored for his life's legacy.
He'll be getting the Peter E. Haas Public Service Award for his "pioneering work" in the field of addiction medicine, which includes prescribing practices, psych-pharmacology, and addiction management. There will be a ceremony for him on April 12th at UC Berkeley. As a part of the award, he's also getting a medical clinic at a new HealthRight360 campus named after him. Through the span of his fifty-year career, he's been a Fellow and Past President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Past President of the California Society of Addiction Medicine, Past Medical Director for the California State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, Past Medical Director for the California Collaborative Center for Substance Abuse Policy Research, and former adviser to the Betty Ford Center. Currently, he's the Chair of Adolescent Addiction Medicine at the Newport Academy in Southern California and Medical Director for Center Point drug rehabilitation centers. Smith is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Oh, and in 1967, he founded a little thing called the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic, where he stayed on as the Medical Director until 2006. From the press release: "I am very grateful for this recognition," said Dr. Smith. "My participation in the golden era of the California public education system provided the foundation for my belief and my life's work - that healthcare is a right, not a privilege." Fun fact: David Smith still owns some real estate in the neighborhood. Namely, the building that housed HYA.
He'll be getting the Peter E. Haas Public Service Award for his "pioneering work" in the field of addiction medicine, which includes prescribing practices, psych-pharmacology, and addiction management. There will be a ceremony for him on April 12th at UC Berkeley. As a part of the award, he's also getting a medical clinic at a new HealthRight360 campus named after him. Through the span of his fifty-year career, he's been a Fellow and Past President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Past President of the California Society of Addiction Medicine, Past Medical Director for the California State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, Past Medical Director for the California Collaborative Center for Substance Abuse Policy Research, and former adviser to the Betty Ford Center. Currently, he's the Chair of Adolescent Addiction Medicine at the Newport Academy in Southern California and Medical Director for Center Point drug rehabilitation centers. Smith is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Oh, and in 1967, he founded a little thing called the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic, where he stayed on as the Medical Director until 2006. From the press release: "I am very grateful for this recognition," said Dr. Smith. "My participation in the golden era of the California public education system provided the foundation for my belief and my life's work - that healthcare is a right, not a privilege." Fun fact: David Smith still owns some real estate in the neighborhood. Namely, the building that housed HYA.
