He joined Dennis Choi’s laboratory and began studying the biochemical processes of neuronal death following ischemia. The pervasive sense of collaboration at Washington University allowed Frank to work with and gain valuable insights from several other laboratories throughout the Division.

During his graduate studies, Frank became increasingly interested in public policy, especially in how policymakers use science in decision making and how science affects society. In 1999, he began his policy career by volunteering in the personal office of a U.S. Senator. In the summer of 2001, Frank joined the Congressional Research Service. Housed in the Library of Congress on Capitol Hill, CRS provides members of Congress, congressional committees, and their staff with timely, objective, and nonpartisan policy analysis.

At CRS, Frank leads an interdisciplinary team of scientists, lawyers, and other policy experts that focus on homeland security research and development issues. Individually, his work focuses on issues related to biological terrorism, biosecurity, pandemic influenza, threat and countermeasure prioritization, and the development and production of countermeasures to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents. Although as a rule he only speaks to the media on background, he made an exception to realize a graduate school dream to be interviewed on National Public Radio’s Science Friday.

He and his wife Isabel live in Fort Washington, Maryland with their sons Alexander (8) and Rylan