December 20, 2005

Faculty member Scott Frank, M.D., to be honored for public health research

Scott Frank

Scott Frank, M.D., an associate professor of family medicine with a secondary appointment as an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, is one of six recipients of the 2005 Voices Against Silence Awards from the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland. The awards honor individuals and institutions "helping to break the silence of AIDS" over the past year.

The awards will be presented Dec. 1 in a ceremony that is free and open to the public. An open house and benefit, for which tickets must be purchased, will follow. For more information, call (216) 357 2223.

A committee that included non-taskforce community leaders and advisers helped select the recipients, chosen from dozens of strong nominations. Frank, who directs the division of public health and the master of public health program in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the School of Medicine, is being recognized for a study he released in June, which found inaccurate information in Ohio's abstinence-until-marriage sex education programs and their potential to reduce sexually transmitted infections. Frank also holds a master of science degree in family medicine, which he earned at Case in 1984.

Other 2005 recipients of the Voices Against Silence Awards include:

  • Regina McEnery, a reporter who has covered health issues for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. In 2004, she traveled to Uganda for three weeks to write about the longstanding partnership between the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, involving AIDS and tuberculosis research. The series received top honors from the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists and the Pan American Health Organization. She also wrote an article about the aforementioned study released by Frank.
  • Camp Sunrise, a summer camp for children affected by HIV and AIDS.
  • Kimberlin Dennis, founder and educator for the Ministry of Hope.
  • Howard Lake, co-founder and co-chair of ArtCares, an art auction benefit for the AIDS Taskforce that is its largest single fundraiser.
  • Darnell "Big D" White, a prevention specialist and youth mentor who is a member of the SAMM (Stopping AIDS is My Mission) and a staff member of HOFNOD (Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs), a program of the Cleveland Treatment Center.

Among the winners of Voices Against the Silence awards in previous years are Robert Kalayjian, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the School of Medicine affiliated with MetroHealth Medical Center; Michael Lederman, M.D., professor of medicine at the School of Medicine affiliated with University Hospitals of Cleveland; AIDS Funding Collaborative Chair Cathy Lewis; Vic Gelb; U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones; U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown; community activist Gil Kudrin; Victoria Cargill, M.D.; community activist Michael Abdenour; Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell; Matthew Kirlough, D.D.S.; and attorney Michael Goldberg.

For more information: George Stamatis 216-368-3635.

Posted by: Heidi Cool, December 20, 2005 02:42 PM | News Topics: Awards, School of Medicine

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