In-House Expert - Frank J. Bia, M.D., MPH, Medical Director, AmeriCares
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Areas of Expertise:
- Medical issues challenging global health: cholera, malaria, HIV, etc.
- Disaster relief and medical issues during emergencies
- Medical conditions among refugees and in camps
- Neglected tropical diseases
- History of medicine and tropical diseases
- U.S. medical education and international health training programs
Dr. Frank J. Bia is an expert in infectious diseases, medical microbiology and tropical medicine. He joined AmeriCares in 2008 as medical director following more than 30 years as a member of the faculty at the Yale University School of Medicine.
As medical director, Dr. Bia oversees the planning, assessment, resourcing and clinical operations of the organization’s Global Programs as well as the AmeriCares Free Clinics and their volunteer physicians in Connecticut. His medical team reviews all donations of prescription and over-the-counter medicines delivered to AmeriCares network of more than 3,000 health care institutions in the United States and abroad. Additionally, Dr. Bia provides medical care to uninsured patients as part of his internal medicine practice at the AmeriCares Free Clinic in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
During his tenure at Yale, Dr. Bia served as a professor of Internal Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and Laboratory Medicine. He was also co-director of Yale’s highly successful International Health Program providing collaborative training experiences though the Yale/Johnson & Johnson Physician Scholars in International Health Program. He remains an active emeritus member of the Yale faculty.
Dr. Bia is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a longstanding member of both the American Society of Tropical Medicine and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, in addition to the International Society of Travel Medicine. He has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed medical journals and has contributed to several books and professional conference symposia. For 20 years he edited Travel Medicine Advisor, a monthly publication for health providers in travel medicine.
Dr. Bia received his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University and his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College followed by his Master of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. He honed his expertise in the areas of infectious diseases, tropical medicine and international health while working abroad in Haiti, China, Colombia, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Iran and Thailand. His work with AmeriCares has taken him to Cambodia, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Malawi and Tanzania.
Dr. Bia has appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Good Morning America,” Fox News and has been interviewed by Travel Weekly. A profile of his work also appeared in the British medical journal, The Lancet. He is the recipient of the Benjamin Kean Medal for excellence in the teaching of tropical medicine, awarded by the American Society of Tropical Medicine.
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