Richard N. Fine, M.D., Dean of the SOM, was named the Henry P. Laughlin 2007 “Alumnus of the Year” by Temple University School of Medicine (TUSM). Honored during his 45th Class Reunion Celebration in October, Dr. Fine is the recipient of the highest honor that TUSM confers on its graduates.

Richard N. Fine, M.D., Dean, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, was named the Henry P. Laughlin 2007 “Alumnus of the Year” by Temple University School of Medicine (TUSM). He is pictured with John M. Daly, M.D., Dean of TUSM, during an October reunion gala.

A member of the TUSM Class of 1962, Dr. Fine received the honor as Alumnus of the Year for his distinguished career as an educator, clinician, and leader in professional affairs. The award recognizes Dr. Fine’s profound mark on the profession and the appreciation of his former classmates, as well as countless patients, families, colleagues and trainees during his 45-year career.

“I am deeply moved, and it is a great honor to be recognized in such a way by my alma mater,” says Dr. Fine. “My experiences at Temple helped form my ideas and ideals about medicine, and this foundation has carried me throughout my career.”

The award is named in honor of Henry P. Laughlin, M.D., a 1941 graduate of TUSM who founded the American College of Psychiatry. Past winners include Morton Kligerman, M.D., ’41, a founding father of radiation oncology, and John W. Lachman, M.D.,’43, an internationally renowned orthopedic surgeon.

Dr. Fine is internationally recognized for his expertise in the management of children requiring renal transplantation. He is renowned for his pioneering efforts to adopt dialysis and renal transplantation for pediatric patients; for establishing peritoneal dialysis as an alternative for children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD); and for using recombinant human growth hormone to treat chronic renal insufficiency and ESRD and to improve growth retardation in renal allograft recipients. 

Earlier this year, Dr. Fine received the Founders Award from the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology (ASPN). The annual award is given to an ASPN member in recognition of unique and lasting contributions to the field of pediatric nephrology. Dr. Fine was honored by ASPN in May for championing the continuing role of ASPN members in science and in specialized health care for children with kidney disease.