The Wayne State University School of Medicine community gathered June 10 to pay tribute to the man many consider the living embodiment of the school's mission.

Robert Frank, M.D., interim dean of Faculty Affairs, was feted by friends, family and colleagues in the Margherio Family Conference Center, inside the building many consider his legacy - the Richard J. Mazurek, M.D., Medical Education Commons. Dr. Frank, who has been with the School of Medicine 42 years as a student, physician, educator and administrator, will retire at the end of June.

"Dr. Frank has imbued our school and curriculum with the spirit of his commitment to medicine, patients and education," said Dean Valerie M. Parisi, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A. "He has blazed a path with a rich legacy and shown us the way. Now, it is up to each of us to follow and uphold the standards that he has set for us. Our fervent wish for Dr. Frank is that he thoroughly enjoys this next chapter in his life. Our selfish hope is that he remains connected with the school he helped build because he still has so much to offer."

Dr. Frank has served as interim dean, executive vice dean and associate dean for Academic and Student Programs. He now serves as interim chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Department of Faculty Affairs.

Robert J. Sokol, M.D., professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, was unable to attend the reception, but sent his accolades via a video.

"There is probably nobody in the entire country who has had more dean titles than Bob," Dr. Sokol said, with a nod to the many positions Dr. Frank has held during his career at the School of Medicine. "And nobody has ever done it better than he has."

Calling Dr. Frank a "true Wayne lifer and a great educator," Dr. Sokol said two generations of doctors owe a large part of their medical education and careers to him.

"Bob isn't fancy, but Bob Frank ain't a wimp, especially when there is a matter of principle at stake. He's tough and he will stand up for what is right," Dr. Sokol said. "There is nobody at Wayne who is more completely committed to our university than Bob Frank, and specifically the medical school. We do not have anybody who is a stronger advocate for the school. We and the next generation of medical students are really going to miss him."

Dr. Frank is largely responsible for shaping the current comprehensive medical curriculum. He made social responsibility an intrinsic component of medical education, bringing an important and appropriate balance to the medical student experience. He incorporated subjects such as doctor-patient communication, end-of-life care, geriatric medicine, palliative care, environmental health exposures and understanding cultural differences into the curriculum. He co-founded the Palliative Care Service at Detroit Receiving Hospital, and as a member of Physicians for Social Responsibility remains a strong advocate for often-forgotten patient groups like the elderly and the indigent. He was the geriatrician in charge of the St. Patrick Senior Center Health Care Clinic in Detroit for nearly 20 years.

"You have a well-deserved reputation for the respect that you show to all people, for the principles for which you have given energy - the need for competent, non-judgmental and sensitive care to all - the homeless persons we came to know by name and life histories, the senior citizens marginalized by a society too busy to care, by workers whose voices need expression in arenas where policies are made, the students whose gifts require identification and nourishment," said Silas Norman Jr., M.D., associate dean of Admissions, Diversity and Inclusion. "You have earned my trust and respect for your consistency that has never wavered."

Dr. Norman, another Wayne "lifer," noted the many lives that Dr. Frank has touched, particularly in caring for the poor and the imprisoned, and in any number of social causes.

"Many others have started out as 'champions of the people,' but have found other roads in life than those less traveled. You, my friend, have stayed the course. Somewhere there are some folk who are not able to be here today whose lives were transformed by your commitment as a person and a professional," he said. "Let me simply say that the arena in which you have served and signaled your continuing and unwavering commitment salutes you and I am proud to be a part of them."

John Crissman, M.D., professor of Pathology, who served as dean of the School of Medicine from 1999 to 2004, said Dr. Frank "molded the school not in his image, but in his philosophy. Very few people can achieve that. I think that is his true achievement."

Ron Spalding, chief administrative officer of Academic and Student Programs for the School of Medicine, recalled how he was a self-described "lab rat" responsible for maintaining labs in Scott Hall when Dr. Frank engaged him in the initial planning for the Mazurek Education Commons, a project he eventually oversaw to completion. He described how Dr. Frank convened a meeting of all stakeholders in the future building, from staff to students. "I thought, 'Dr. Frank gets it,'" he said.

"We are very grateful for the respect he has shown all of us. His single most important aspect is his willingness to give people the opportunity to grow," Spalding added. "While you will never remember everyone you gave an opportunity to, they will remember you."

Dr. Frank's wife, assistant professor of Family Medicine Sharon Popp, their children and grandchildren attended the reception. He said the couple intend to spend more time with friends and their grandchildren, work on raising funds for scholarships for the School of Medicine and work for the re-election of President Barack Obama.

He was presented with an album containing photos and letters of reminiscences and congratulations from colleagues, as well as a log-splitter.

"I hope that the school continues to take a chance and take the kids who may not be the greatest at that age like it took a chance on me," Dr. Frank said. "I probably wouldn't get in today."

While the Mazurek Education Commons is very important to him, Dr. Frank said that the "Make a Difference" pins that he popularized while he was interim dean and which were worn by Dean Parisi and other administrators at the reception were the "the one thing I did that was most important, the most tangible. We just said, as long as we're here, let's do something.

"I am amazed at what we can continuously do with not that much," he said of the people of the School of Medicine. "That's truly an accomplishment."

To view photos from the reception, visit http://wsu.wayne.edu/som/gallery.php