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Who is Martin Frank?
Martin Frank was born in Chicago, Illinois on October 22, 1947. Throughout his childhood, he was intrigued by how the world around him worked. It was his general curiosity with nature that led him to participate in science fair activities in school. He also was motivated by the family physician who made house calls.
Golf Pays
His interest in physiology came as a result of an upper-level undergraduate course in physiology. Dr. F. R. Steggerda taught his cardiovascular dog laboratory. No matter how often Dr. Steggerda saw an ACh or epinephrine effect in an open-chest dog, it was as if it was the first time he had seen it. It was that instructor’s enthusiasm that turned Martin on to physiology. He received his Bachelor’s degree in 1969. Martin decided to continue his studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and was awarded a PhD degree in physiology in 1973. Dr. Frank began his career as all other newly minted PhDs did and soon accepted a postdoctoral position at the Michigan Cancer Foundation, Detroit. This was followed by another position at Michigan State University, East Lansing. After completing two postdoctoral positions, Dr. Frank accepted a position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology at the George Washington University Medical School in Washington, DC. He looked forward to a life as an “absent-minded professor” who rode his bike to his laboratory each day and initiated scores of eager students into the mysteries of physiology. SerendipityHowever, life had other plans for Dr. Frank. As an Assistant Professor, Dr. Frank found himself interested in science policy. As he likes to tell people, he was bit by “Potomac Fever.” After three years at GWU, he moved on to NIH where he served as the Executive Secretary of the Physiology Study Section, Division of Research Grants. There he played the role of arbitrator and champion of the investigator. In his continual quest to expand his knowledge base, he applied for and was accepted into the Senior Executive Service Candidate Program in the Department of Health and Human Services. Participation in that program allowed him to work with a variety of people in different capacities within DHHS. That knowledge would serve him well in future years. It was in 1985 that Dr. Frank accepted a new challenge – Executive Director of The American Physiological Society. As Executive Director of the oldest biomedical sciences research society in America, he is responsible for managing the Society, a non-profit association established to promote the physiological sciences. Under his leadership APS has grown exponentially to become a $16 million business with over 70 employees. He works directly with the elected Presidents and Council members and the appointed committee chairs to ensure the publication of the Society’s 14 top-rated journals, the management of the scientific meetings highlighting the latest in physiological research, the development and implementation of educational programs to meet the broad and varied needs of the scientific community, and the ongoing vigilance needed for continued increased funding for the discipline. He also works closely with the Council to ensure the continued availability of research animals for their humane use in experimental studies. Free TimeMartin spends the few hours of spare time he has mainly with his family. While his past hobbies included his alternative life as “Jelly Bean” the clown and performing for sick children at the NIH Clinical Center, he has had to put that life on hold until time permits in the future. He also dreams of proving his worth of his undergraduate scholarship and makes the occasional attempt to master the game of golf.
The Excitement of Studying Physiology
Representative Publications
2. Frank, M. Impact Factors: Arbiter of Excellence? The Physiologist 45: 181-183, 2002. 3. Frank, M. Creating a Better Mousetrap! The Physiologist 45: 3-4, 2002. 4. Frank, M. View From the Street. The Physiologist 44: 293-294, 2001.
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