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Frank Bia, MD, MPH

Professor Emeritus of Medicine (Infectious Diseases)

Contact Information

Frank Bia, MD, MPH

Appointments

Biography

Dr. Bia received his BS in Chemistry from Fordham University, Bronx, NY, and his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in New York City. He obtained his Masters of Public Health in Microbiology and Tropical public health from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, MA. Following four years of internal medicine residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, he came to Yale as a fellow in infectious diseases in 1976, ultimately joining the medical faculty. His early research was on the prevention of maternal/fetal infection with CMV using a model developed by his mentor, Dr. GD Hsiung. While working abroad in countries such as Haiti, China and Thailand, he followed his interests in tropical medicine and international health. Dr. Bia is a member of numerous professional societies, including the American College of Physicians, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. In 1991 he was selected by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, MI as a Kellogg National Leadership Fellow. In 2004 Dr. Bia received the Benjamin Kean Medal, awarded once every three years by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, for excellence in both training physicians and in the teaching of clinical tropical medicine. He has received numerous Yale teaching awards and recently worked with the humanitarian and disaster relief organization, AmeriCares, as its full time medical director from January 2008 to June 2014. He is currently the volunteer medical director of The Vennue Foundation and actively attending on the Yale Medical Service, precepting Yale IM residents in a New Haven federally qualified health center [Fair Haven Community Health Center] and serving as a volunteer attending in the Yale free clinics.

Education & Training

  • Infectious Disease Fellow
    Yale School of Medicine (1979)
  • 1972-73 Intern in Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania 1973-75 Junior and Senior Asst. Resident in Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Includes three months in medicine and Infectious diseases at Saadi Hospital, Pahl
    University of Pennsylvania (1976)
  • MPH
    Harvard School of Public Health (1972)
  • MD
    Cornell University (1971)
  • BS
    Fordham University (1967)

Certifications

  • Board Certification
    AB of Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease (1980)
  • Board Certification
    AB of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine (1975)

Activities

  • International work as the medical director of AmeriCares from 2008 to 2014
    Stamford, Connecticut, United States (2008-2014)
    Medical director of a humanitarian and disaster relief organization. Countries worked within also include Tanzania, Eritrea, Malawi, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru and Armenia
  • Partnership review
    Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia 2008
    Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope and on-site partner hospitals’ program and partnership review for AmeriCares Foundation.
  • Partnership Review
    Honduras 2008
    Partner (Sovereign Order of Malta) review by AmeriCares partnership criteria; visits to hospitals and clinics supported by AmeriCares partnership with Sovereign Order of Malta in Honduras.
  • New Program in International Medicine
    Asmara, Maekel Region, Eritrea 2008
    Establishment of new partnership between AmeriCares and the Ministry of Health in Eritrea for distribution of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.
  • Health Care in Nicaragua
    Managua, MN, Nicaragua 1992
    Part of the Kellogg National Leadership Program funded for three years through the Kellogg Foundation.
  • Patient Care
    Haiti 1985
    Volunteer internist, Hopital Albert Schweitzer
  • Patient Care
    Haiti 1984
    Volunteer internist
  • Refugee work
    Thailand 1983
    International Rescue Committee, medical attending, Kao-I-Dang refugee camp (May). Took part in caring for large numbers of Khmer refugees maintained at this refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border.
  • Patient Care
    Haiti 1982
    Volunteer internist, Hopital Albert Schweitzer (2 mo.) Began Yale’s International Health Electives with Dr. Michele Barry following this initial trip to Haiti.
  • Teaching virology
    China 1982
    Instructor in medical and experimental virology (Oct.). Accompanied Dr. GD Hsiung, Professor of Laboratory Medicine and several other faculty involved in teaching virology at Hubei Medical College.
  • Residency Elective in Iran
    Shiraz, Fars, Iran (1973-1975)
    Junior and Senior Asst. Resident in Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Includes three months in medicine and Infectious diseases at Saadi Hospital, Pahlavi University, Shiraz, Iran
  • Tropical Medicine Fellowship
    Colombia 1971
    Fellow in Tropical Medicine, University of Antiochia, Medellin, Colombia, South America
  • Public Health Research
    Preveza, Epirus, Greece 1968
    Medical student public health project (3 mo.)

Honors & Recognition

Award
A) International/National/Regional 2007 The George Thornton Award in medical education from the American College of Physicians (CT Chapter) for lifetime achievement, Oct 2007. 2004 The Benjamin Kean Medal of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Awarded once every three years by the Society “to recognize a clinician or educator whose dedication to clinical tropical medicine and impact on the training of students, fellows and/or practitioners of tropical medicine is in keeping with the tradition established by Dr. Kean.” 1982 Exerpta Medica Foundation Travel Award in China Recipient of travel grant to teach medical and experimental virology in China. 1979 George A. Carden Scholar (1979-81). A renewable grant for the support of research in the virology of cytomegaloviruses. B) University 2000 AAMC/Pfizer Humanism in Medicine Nominee to nationals for 2000 award by students at Yale as a "medical faculty physician who embodies the finest qualities in a healer who teaches healing." 1996 Charles W. Bohmfalk Teaching Prize For outstanding teaching in the basic sciences (Microbiology), at the Yale University School of Medicine. Highest teaching award at Yale School of Medicine. 1983 Francis Gilman Blake Award "as that member of the faculty of the Yale School of Medicine designated by the senior class as the most outstanding teacher of the medical sciences". Cornell Medical College – AOA honor society ‘71 Fordham University, Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude ‘67

Departments & Organizations