Dear SMHS Students, Faculty, Residents, Alumni, and Staff,
It is with great sorrow that I report the passing of Dr. Frank Miller. As a professor, mentor, and friend, Dr. Miller was one of the most beloved faculty members in the history of GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), and he will be missed by so many within our community.
Dr. Miller was an outstanding teacher, shaping the future careers of generations of medical students from 1944 until his retirement in 1985. His dedication and influence earned him GW’s Distinguished Teacher Award in 1998. Because of his ability to connect with students and mentor residents and fellows, he was GW’s first recipient of the “Golden Apple” award, presented to him for excellence in teaching the basic sciences. By the time Dr. Miller retired, he had been awarded seven such prizes — an unprecedented total at the time.
As a double alumnus, B.S. ’43 and M.D. ’48, a professor emeritus of Pathology, a dean of Students and Curricular Affairs from 1966 to 1973, and a chair of the Department of Pathology from 1974 to 1977, Dr. Miller was embedded in the cultural fabric of GW. In his role as dean, he paved the way for women to enter medical school, markedly increasing female enrollment at SMHS during those years.
Dr. Miller is a significant part of the history of SMHS and his legacy will live on through the Dr. Frank N. Miller Endowed Professorship to support a distinguished teaching professorship in SMHS and the Dr. Frank Miller Award given annually to a Pathology resident or fellow in recognition of excellence in teaching.
In my many meetings with groups and with individual alumni, the name of Dr. Frank Miller is by far the one most often cited by them as their most influential and beloved professor. He touched the lives and careers of countless people. I, too, counted Dr. Miller as a great mentor and a friend, and so am deeply saddened to share this news with you.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Frank’s daughter, Catherine Sluder, manager of the Bloedorn Technology Center in GW’s Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, and to the entire Miller family.
The funeral will take place on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 1:00 pm at the Francis J. Collins Funeral Home, located at 500 University Blvd. West, Silver Spring, Md. 20901.
Gifts can be made online in memory of Dr. Frank Miller to The George Washington University Frank Miller Endowed Professorship Fund.
Or you can mail a check to:
The GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Office of Development and Alumni Relations Frank Miller Endowed Professorship Fund 2030 M Street, NW Suite 4054 Washington, DC 20036
Warmest regards,
Jeffrey S. Akman, M.D. ’81, G.M.E. ’85 Vice President for Health Affairs Dean, School of Medicine and Health Sciences
