SDM Dean Will Step Down After 30 Years
Frankl was longest-serving dean of all U.S. dental schools
Spencer Frankl, the dean of the School of Dental Medicine for 30 years and the longest-serving dean of any dental school in the country, announced last week that he plans to step down from his position as of July 1, 2008, or as soon as a successor is named.
"It has been my honor and privilege to serve as your dean for these many years," Frankl wrote in an announcement to the faculty. "Your dedication and commitment to the school and its mission have been inspiring. Your loyalty and friendship to me personally have been uplifting and sustaining."
“We are grateful to Dr. Frankl for his more than 40 years of service to Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine and three decades as dean,” says Karen Antman, dean of the School of Medicine and provost of the Medical Campus. “In the coming weeks, a search committee will be formed and charged with conducting a nationwide search as we look for a successor.”
Frankl, a graduate of Temple University and Tufts University, was recruited to Boston University in 1964 by Henry Goldman, SDM’s founding dean, to create the department of pediatric dentistry. He chaired the department until 1976 and was named assistant dean in 1970, associate dean in 1973, and dean of the school in 1977.
Over the course of four decades at the school, Frankl expanded SDM’s degree programs, adding a seven-year DMD program for undergraduates, and he oversaw curriculum revisions to keep the school at the forefront of research, education, and technology use. In 2000, SDM became one of six dental schools in the United States to replace traditional textbooks and classroom materials with digital and electronic texts.
He also helped build the school’s focus on experiential learning and community involvement, partnering with Boston Medical Center and national organizations to offer dental care to the city’s low-income and underserved populations. A grant from the National Institutes of Health helped fund the Center for Research to Evaluate and Eliminate Dental Disparities (CREED), and funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation established the New England Dental Access Project to recruit and train minority dentists.
“He is a true visionary,” says Zhimon Jacobson (SDM’81,’82), a clinical professor and director of the Center for Implantology and leader of the 2003 fundraising campaign for the Spencer N. Frankl Chair in Dental Medicine. “He’s been a mentor to thousands of students, residents, and faculty and is one of the most respected deans of dental schools in the country. All of the programs he set into place 10 to 20 years ago, other universities are trying to imitate. He’s ahead of the curve all the time.”
Frankl has held leadership positions on a number of national specialty boards, serving as the director of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, chairman of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, chairman of the Written Section of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and chairman of the Clinical Section of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. He also served as a consultant for the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation.
He has been active in numerous professional organizations, including the American Dental Association, the Massachusetts Dental Association, the American Society of Dentistry for Children, the Massachusetts Society of Dentistry for Children, the International Association for Dental Research, and the Association of Pediatric Dentistry Diplomates. Frankl is also a fellow of the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
Jessica Ullian can be reached at jullian@bu.edu.