About William D. Franks, MD
Dr. Dale Franks began his professional career as a dentist specializing in oral and maxillofacial surgery. During his oral surgery training in New York, he had the opportunity to work extensively with a plastic surgeon who specialized in the reconstruction of cleft lips and palates. Dr. Franks' passion was ignited and he began a personal journey to pursue a career as a plastic surgeon specializing in craniofacial and children's reconstructive surgery. Having already attained a dental degree and completed training as an oral maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Franks was accepted in advanced standing to Eastern Virginia Medical School. After earning his medical degree, Dr. Franks spent time working alongside Dr. Bill Magee, co-founder of the international organization Operation Smile. OP Smile provides safe, effective reconstructive surgery and related medical care to children born with facial deformities. He then went on to complete his general surgery training in Pittsburgh and his plastic reconstructive surgery training in Chattanooga, Tennessee under the mentorship of Dr. Larry Sargent. Dr. Sargent is recognized for his expertise in complex facial and orbital reconstruction. Finally, his many years of extensive training and hard work were acknowledged by his acceptance to the Craniofacial and Children's Reconstructive Fellowship at New York University School of Medicine's Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery. During his fellowship, Dr. Franks was trained by experts in the fields of craniofacial surgery, ear reconstruction, cleft lip and palate surgery and vascular tumors. He then brought his extensive experience and training to the Midwest and founded the Center for Children's Craniofacial and Reconstructive Surgery at Mercy Medical Center. Eleven years have passed since Dr. Franks first arrived in Des Moines. During that time he has married and he and his wife Ting are now parents of two active boys. Dr. Franks enjoys a thriving private practice focusing on cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the face, breast, and body. Clients seek out Dr. Franks because of his artistic approach to cosmetic procedures and his reputation for attention to details. His intuitive surgical skills and creativity are exemplified by the innovative surgical techniques he has developed and named ""Reconstructive Aesthetic Surgery"", which applies core reconstructive surgery principles to cosmetic procedures. Reconstructive Aesthetic Surgery encompasses not only the technical aspects of a procedure, but equally important, how the procedure is performed. When applied, Reconstructive Aesthetic Surgery softens changes that have occurred with the natural aging process of the face, and improves the appearance of unfavorable results from previous cosmetic or reconstructive procedures of the breast and body. Dr. Franks is a Diplomat of The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). The ABPS is recognized as the major specialty board for plastic and reconstructive surgery by the Advisory Board of Medical Specialties and is one of only twenty-four medical specialty boards that make up the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). The twenty-four medical specialty boards were founded by their respective specialties to protect the public by assessing and certifying doctors who meet specific educational, training, and professional requirements. Dr. Franks is also a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties Maintenance of Certification (MOC). MOC assures that the physician is committed to lifelong learning and competency in a specialty and/or subspecialty by requiring ongoing measurement of six core competencies. The six core competencies for quality patient care include: 1) Patient Care, 2) Medical Knowledge, 3) Interpersonal and Communication Skills, 4) Professionalism, 5) Systems Based Practice, 6) Practice-based learning and improvement. You may contact the The American Board of Plastic Surgery, Consumer Information tab, at www.abplsurg.org/ to learn more about Maintenance of Certification and to find out if a surgeon is certified to the standards of The American Board of Plastic Surgery.
