Spencer N. Frankl (c. 1933c. Oct. 2007) was an American

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...

Biography

Frankl grew up in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

where he became friends with Rhoda Stein and married her seven years later. In 1958 he graduated from

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

School of Dentistry and became a postdoctoral

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

in pediatric dentistry at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

, where he received an MSD. Three years later, he became a faculty member at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

, where he founded the department of pediatric dentistry in 1964. During the same years he was the chief of the dental service at Beth Israel Hospital and by 1972 he launched the DMD program at Boston University. On October 24, 1977, he became the second dean at the

Goldman School of Dental Medicine The Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine is the dental school at Boston University. Its curriculum is based on the Applied Professional Experience (APEX) Program, which gives students practical experience at a dental practice as part of clin ...

. He served in the role until his death in 2007, making him the longest-serving dean of a dental school in the United States.

References

1934 births 2007 deaths American dentists Boston University faculty Temple University alumni Tufts University faculty 20th-century dentists {{US-med-bio-stub