Frank Vinicor

Frank Vinicor, MD, MPH: An International Leader who Championed a Public Health Approach to Diabetes Prevention : 

Dr. Frank Vinicor, born on March 21,1941, a native of Norwood, NY, peacefully passed away in Atlanta, Georgia on March 12, 2025. He was a creative, intelligent, and humble visionary; loved by all who knew him. Frank graduated from Yale University, and Washington University Medical School in St. Louis. He started residency at Indiana University and quickly volunteered for the US Army, discharging as a Major. While at Ft. Knox, he started a family and then became a professor of medicine at both Indiana University and the Veteran's Administration hospitals in Indianapolis. Frank worked tirelessly for his patients with diabetes and was the President of the Indiana chapter of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). He was President of the Indianapolis chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility in 1985. That same year, the national organization received the Nobel Peace Prize for creating awareness of the dire consequences of nuclear missile proliferation. Mid-career, he completed a master's degree in public health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In 1989, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recruited him as the director of the Division of Diabetes Translation. He also served as a director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center of Diabetes Mellitus. At CDC, he garnered national attention to diabetes and its public health implications. This recognition helped foster his recruitment as president of the ADA in 1995-96.

He travelled the world as an advocate of public health and in pursuit of medical diplomacy. Throughout his life, he believed he could make the world a better place; he was a voice for the voiceless and was humble and kind. Within one day, he might converse with a diabetes patient and then the U.S. Speaker of the House showing respect and empathy to both while cracking a self-effacing joke or two. He persevered, engaged, struggled, and civilly disobeyed. He loved hockey, scuba diving, Hershey's chocolate, intellectualism, ethnic food, sports, travel, photography, learning, movies, Saabs, his pets and especially his family.

He believed in us and as a result would say "Get in good trouble", echoing his former US Representative, John Lewis. We will forever hear him whispering "do it now."

Survivors include his long-term partner, Julie Will; daughters, Rachel Rodman (David) Driscoll, Henry, Gabrielle, Sarah Mason (Robert) Wren, Phoebe, Kirsten Lawhon (Trevor Mooney) Gibson; and ex-wife Susan Vinicor. His father, Henry Vinicor, his mother Bernice (Beckstead), and brother Charles preceded him in death.

His family and friends are planning private ceremonies. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family suggests donations in Frank's name to the American Diabetes Association or Doctors Without Borders.