On Sunday, December 5, 1999 The Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry held its annual benefit at the Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital Conference Center. This year's event honored psychiatrist and educator Jerome D. Frank, M.D., Ph.D. This was a special time to honor Dr. Frank as he celebrated his 90^th birthday on May 30^th.

Dr. Frank is a man of many accomplishments. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University in 1930, where he then received his doctorate in Psychology in 1934 and his M.D., cum laude, in 1939. In 1948 he married Elizabeth (Liza) Kleeman and they have four children: Deborah, David, Julia, and Emily.

Dr. Frank has been a member of the Maryland Psychiatric Society since its inception in 1949, and he served as the President in 1955-1956. He received A.P.A. Life Fellow status in 1977 and 50 year Life Fellow Status in 1997. He began his career at the Johns Hopkins Department of Psychiatry in the early 1940's and has had a productive and celebrated career. In 1974 he was named Professor Emeritus.

Dr. Jonas Rappeport began the annual program with opening remarks and referred to Dr. Frank as his "gentle mentor." He spoke of Dr. Frank's emphasis on "how to think" as a legacy he has passed on to the many psychiatry residents he has taught. He also noted that Dr. Frank served as a model of ethical conduct and human decency.

This year's benefit was a two-part program. Kimberly Komrad performed a musical program, and Dr. Julia Frank presented a scientific session.

Cantor Kimberly Komrad of Beth Israel Congregation in Owings Mills treated the audience to a program entitled "From Jerusalem to Broadway." J.D. Williams, a junior at the Peabody Conservatory, provided the accompaniment on piano. Cantor Komrad performed three pieces from The Marriage of Figaro, sang three Yiddish songs, and concluded her performance with popular songs from Broadway, including a piece from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.

The second component of the benefit shifted the focus to the mind and brain. Dr. Rudolph Hoehn-Saric introduced this segment with a moving tribute to Dr. Frank. He referred to Dr. Frank as "A true believer in psychotherapy." He noted Dr. Frank's work in establishing Physicians for Social Responsibility and spoke of him as a humanist. Dr. Hoehn-Saric then introduced Dr. Julia Frank, psychiatrist, educator, and daughter of Jerome Frank.

Dr. Julia Frank is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine. She has numerous publications and has co-authored the 3^rd edition of Persuasion and Healing with her father.

Dr. Julia Frank spoke of the tremendous influence her father had on her work. She noted his ability to think critically and talked about the first edition of his landmark book, Persuasion and Healing, written in 1961. In it, Dr. Jerry Frank had emphasized that all forms of psychotherapy have equal outcomes. He felt the common elements of the therapies outweigh the differences, with the emphasis being on the therapist-patient relationship and the ethical conduct and human decency of the treating therapist. All psychotherapies, he noted, treat demoralization condition common to medical and psychiatric illnesses.

Dr. Julia Frank then addressed her interest in the distinction between classical neurology and thought. She spoke of neural net theory and how the synaptic neural network develops. The brain is plastic and changes throughout life in response to experience. Network formation is influenced by emotion, perception, feedback, genetics, and language. With this, she brought the audience back to her father's critical thinking about what it is that psychotherapy does. She discussed the importance of arousal, bringing stored material into the present, and the therapeutic relationship itself as the primary organizing factor in psychotherapy. She returned to her father's theories in the original version of Persuasion and Healing as to how seemingly disparate forms of psychotherapy are all equally effective.

The Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry brought together a stimulating program of music and psychiatry, paying an appropriate tribute to Dr. Jerry Frank. He sat in the front row enjoying the day. His eyes sparkled and he often flashed his warm smile, grinning with pleasure at the day's events.