June 28, 2019

A named professorship — the Arthur L. and Joanne B. Frank award — has been created at the Dornsife School of Public Health. The award will be given to an assistant, associate or full professor in Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) in recognition of outstanding contributions or outstanding promise in the field of EOH. All faculty tracks are eligible. 

The professorship was named for Arthur L. Frank, MD, PhD, to honor his significant contributions to public health nationally and internationally. Frank has been an international leader in occupational health with a special focus on the impact of asbestos exposure on the health of workers and their families. He first joined the School in 2002 as Professor and Director of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, transitioning to the role of Chair when the Center became a Department. 

In 2014, Frank became Chair Emeritus to dedicate himself full time to teaching and research. With more than 40 years as a leader in occupational health, Frank has worked tirelessly to advance the health of workers in the United States and globally in many countries including China, India, Colombia, Argentina, and Mongolia. He has made significant contributions globally to a broad range of areas including medical ethics, health and safety for agricultural workers, and occupational lung diseases and cancers, especially as they relate to asbestos exposure. 

In 2016, he received the Ramazzini Award of the Collegium Ramazzini in Italy, for his work improving working conditions for people all over the world by “combining scientific achievement with public service and advocacy,” while inspiring and training young scientists new to the field. 

The Frank professorship will be awarded for a three-year period and may be renewable for an additional two years. It will consist of a salary supplement and an annual research allocation to be used by the faculty member to support his or her research program. The award can be used for a new or existing professor. This year, we will be naming a current faculty member as the inaugural Frank Professor.

A three-member committee (Jerry Fagliano, Steve Lankenau and Arthur Frank) will solicit and evaluate nominations for this award. The committee will then make a recommendation of acceptable candidates. 

Self-nominations or nominations for another member of the faculty are acceptable. Nomination packets shall include a 1 to 2 page statement justifying the nomination, and the nominee’s CV.

Criteria for the initial 3-year award will include:

• Record or potential for outstanding research contributions in EOH
• Alignment with School and Departmental priorities and needs in terms of research focus, teaching or practice.

Nominations should be submitted to the chair of the committee no later than July 12, 2019.

Please contact the committee chair, Jerry Fagliano, if you have any questions about the professorship or the nomination process.