The Oakland University School of Health Sciences is on the hunt for new leadership.

They are holding a series of open interview sessions for faculty, staff and students to attend and gather information on their four candidates for the new dean of health sciences.

These open interviews commenced on Monday, April 25 with Dr. Barry Franklin’s presentation in Lake Superior Room A.

Meet Barry A. Franklin, Ph.D.

Franklin is currently the director of Cardiac Rehabilitation at Beaumont Hospital with specialty in heart disease, atherosclerosis, exercise science and cardiac rehabilitation programs. He is also a professor at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine.

Dr. Franklin has represented Beaumont Hospital on various committees including the American Heart Association Council on Clinical Cardiology, Subcommittee on Exercise, Cardiac Rehabilitation, and Prevention; the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing; the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism; and the Stroke Council, producing the published scientific position statements on exercise and heart disease.

He received his B.S. from Kent State University with a major in Health and Physical Education and minor in Psychology.  His M.S. is from the University of Michigan studying Health and Physical Education with an emphasis in Applied Physiology.   Finally he received a Ph.D from Pennsylvania State University as a Physiology major with a minor in Health and Physical Education.

Franklin has written or edited more than 500 publications, including 375 papers, 77 book chapters and 27 books.

His presentation focused on his vision for the School of Health Sciences at Oakland University, as well as his personal philosophies regarding the implementation of health and wellness initiatives in the university community and beyond.

He presented his vision and ideas accompanied by a slideshow for the audience.

“Health is our greatest wealth,” Franklin said. “We must strive to create strategies for greater success and make advancements in the school of health sciences.”

He proposed a “paradigm shift” from the current focus on a reactive-based sick care system, where individuals only seek treatment for ailments, to preventative and proactive healthcare.  

His hope is to change the environment from only helping people when they’re injured or sick to helping and encouraging patients to maintain a healthy lifestyle so they are less likely to succumb to sickness and injury.

He mentioned past performance, people skills, passion and productivity as qualities associated with finding the right people to compose a “dream team” in the SHS.

“We must be ferociously persistent with issues and initiatives that we want put in place for this new identity for the School of Health Sciences.”

Following the presentation, Franklin opened to the audience for questions and comments, and continued his discussion on the topic of promoting collaboration between SHS and OUWB.

Franklin also spoke on his hope of creating a system that will work to place members of our faculty where they are needed most while encouraging the adoption of nutritional medicine within each department.  He also touched on his plan to emphasize the importance of student experiences both inside and outside of the classroom through clinical experience and involvement in professional medical associations.

For any questions or other inquiries related to Dr. Franklin’s presentation, you may contact Dr. Franklin at [email protected].

The open interviews for the other candidates are scheduled as follows:

Dr. Wayne Miller: Tuesday, April 26, 1:00-2:00 p.m. in Lake Superior A

Dr. Mark Williams: Monday, May 2, 1:00-2:00 p.m. in Lake Superior A

Dr. Kevin Ball: Tuesday, May 3, 1:00-2:00 p.m. in Lake Superior A