President Ono gives thumbs up to Jim Frankish

President Santa Ono has given a thumbs up to Professor C. James (Jim) Frankish for his alumni UBC Faculty Community Service Award.

Dr. Frankish was unable attend the Achievement Awards on Tuesday night (November 1st), where School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) co-director Professor Chris Lovato accepted the award on his behalf. Dr. Lovato spoke about Dr. Frankish’s long career in health promotion research focusing on vulnerable populations, particularly those who are homeless.

Dr. Frankish has been a leader in developing the field of health promotion in Canada, and has developed more than 40 courses at UBC. He is a board member of the Lookout Emergency Aid Society, and has served the Provost Advisory Group on Downtown Eastside, the Vancouver Street-to-Home Foundation, the Vancouver Homeless Count, and the Vancouver Crisis Centre. In 2013, he was invited to participate in the Mayor’s Task Force on Mental Health and Addictions.

Dr. Lovato said Dr. Frankish was one of the most giving individuals she had ever met, who visited hospitalized patients and people in shelters with his therapy dog, Lola, and found a way to use his personal passion of photography to give back to the most vulnerable people.

“Over the years, he’s spent countless hours on Christmas Day taking photos of those in shelters, then going back to give them printed versions, so they could have a memory, or send a photo to a loved one.”
Dr. Chris Lovato

[youtube width=”1280″ height=”534″]https://youtu.be/IjXq6A8Bf1Y[/youtube]

Alumnus Jason Tan de Bibiana nominated Dr. Frankish, saying that working with Dr. Frankish had solidified his determination and commitment to pursue a career in public health and focus on issues of health inequity, social justice and community development.

“The scope of Jim’s contribution to the health and well-being of the people of British Columbia is truly difficult to measure and express because it ripples out exponentially from all the individuals he has inspired, from all the projects he has led, and all the community enterprises he has initiated and supported.”
Alumnus Jason Tan de Bibiana

When asked to comment on the award, Dr. Frankish gave what is, according to those who know him well, a typically humble response:

“The students and community members are the ones who deserve the award; they do the real work.”
Dr. Jim Frankish

Congratulations to Dr. Jim Frankish!

Click here to return to the News main page