John Frank (MD, CCFP, MSc, FRCPC, FFCAHS FFPH, FRSE, LLD)

HCP-Med Lead, Research and Evidence-Based Medicine Module

Biography

Background

Prof John Frank, Professorial Fellow, is a physician-epidemiologist with 48 years of primary care/ public health practice, research, teaching and consulting, in four countries. He has led three new start-up non-profit Institutes/Centres for applied public health research, in Canada and Scotland, since 1991. His main area of expertise is health inequalities by socio-economic status, with a special focus on the prevention of chronic disease.

CV

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Qualifications

1. Successfully led three public health research start-ups, mandated to influence policy and practice, requiring leadership of multi-disciplinary teams, with a total funding value of over £50 million:

a) Director of Research, Institute for Work & Health, Toronto (1991-97)

b) Scientific Director, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Institute of Population and Public Health), Toronto/Ottawa (2000-08)

c) Director, Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research & Policy (Edinburgh) - applied research Unit funded by MRC UK and Scottish Chief Scientist Office (2008-18)

2. Over 300 career publications (Google Scholar h-index 60) on diverse public health and primary care topics, focused on social determinants of health and disease prevention.

3. A strong track record of involvement in senior public health research and policy advisory bodies, in Canada and the UK, including seven years of leading the CIHR’s Global Health Research Initiative(2001-2008).

Responsibilities & affiliations

Honorary Public Health Consultant, Public Health Scotland (2018-)

Undergraduate teaching

HCP-Meds Lead, Research & Evidence-Based Medicine

Past PhD students supervised

Career total of graduate student supervision: 17 MSc/MPH theses; 5 PhD theses/15 PhD committees; 3 PhD studentships; 18 Post-Doctoral Fellows (full list available on request)

Research summary

1.Chronic Disease Causation and Prevention (especially by public health measures)

2.Occupational and Social Epidemiology,  particularly socio-economic gradients in health status

3.Bio-Psycho-Social Determinants of Population Health Status:  Disease-Specific and Generic.

Current research interests

As above, plus (since 2020): Health and Environmental Effects of Telecommunications EMFs

Knowledge exchange

From 1991 to 2018, as inaugural Director of the three start-up, non-profit applied occupational/public-health research Units listed above, I have had major responsibilities for moving research to policy and practice. This involved building and maintaining close but independent relationships with public sector and health professional organizations in both Canada and the UK. From 2018 until my retirement in 2021, I was Director of Knowledge Exchange and Research Impact for the Usher Institute at the University of Edinburgh.

Past project grants

Over 50 grants since 1985, total value over £40 million – full list available on request.

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