In 1998, Stephen (Steve) Fine, PhD, and his wife Gail lost their 26-year-old son Daniel to late-stage melanoma.
Steve gave up his successful career in the semiconductor industry to create an educational program that is saving the lives of other young people.
He created a website that began as a tribute to his son and evolved into a complete guide to early self-detection and prevention of melanoma, which is curable in its early stages.
Steve didn’t stop there. He founded the nonprofit Melanoma Education Foundation and created its SkinCheck® curriculum, a class with a lesson plan, video and student handouts that informs students how to self-detect and prevent melanoma. He then developed a seminar to train high school and middle school teachers in how to conduct the class.
Volunteering his time and talent, Steve gave teacher-training seminars at more than 300 schools in Massachusetts and also created a training DVD that received a 2010 Gold Triangle Award from the American Academy of Dermatology. Now, more than 1,000 schools in 46 states are using his free curriculum. Steve’s goal is to make the class a standard component of secondary education nationwide.
