News Release
DR. CY FRANK APPOINTED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ALBERTA BONE AND JOINT HEALTH INSTITUTE
Release: August 10, 2007
CALGARY – The Board of Directors of the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute (ABJHI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Cy Frank as Executive Director, effective Aug. 10. In his new role, Dr. Frank is responsible for leading the ABJHI team in developing strategic initiatives in bone and joint health care service delivery, research and education.
“Cy brings to ABJHI more than three decades of experience and knowledge in the medical practice, research and academic environments,” Ian Robinson, Board Chair, said. “His skills in these areas will serve as an invaluable asset to ABJHI as it continues to expand its role in developing innovative approaches to bone and joint health care services.”
Dr. Frank was instrumental in ABJHI’s founding in 2004 as the leading agent for continuous improvement in bone and joint health and health care for Albertans. He is a founding member of ABJHI’s Board of Directors and is currently the Board’s Co-Vice Chair. In addition to his Board activities, Dr. Frank has been engaged in the day-to-day activities of ABJHI through his position as Director of the Bone and Joint Institute for the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary.
An orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Frank is a leading researcher in ligament healing and transplantation, osteoarthritis prevention, and health services and systems with a focus on designing and testing innovations in bone and joint health care service delivery.
He is professor and Chief of the Division of Orthopaedics at the University of Calgary/Calgary Health Region, McCaig Professor of Joint Injury and Arthritis Research in the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine, and Scientist at the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research.
Dr. Frank replaces Dr. Ron Zernicke, ABJHI’s inaugural Executive Director. “We are indebted to Ron for his successful stewardship of ABJHI through the challenging formative years and wish him success in his new teaching position at the University of Michigan,” Mr. Robinson said.
The need for improved bone and joint health care is growing rapidly in Alberta as the population ages and expands and as rates of obesity in the population escalate. Seven in 10 Albertans develop osteoarthritis by age 70, a chronic painful joint disease, and one in four women age 50 and older has osteoporosis, which increases bone fragility. One-quarter of Albertans are obese or overweight, increasing their risk of osteoarthritis nine-fold.
About the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute
The Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating and maintaining a standard of bone and joint health and health care that is the best in the world. ABJHI’s work is focused on improving access to and enhancing the quality and efficiency of care, advancing research and knowledge, and promoting prevention and wellness. For more information, visit www.albertaboneandjoint.com.
Contact:
Len Cocolicchio
403-670-0886
lcocolicchio@albertaboneandjoint.com
