DMU mourned the death on Jan. 17 of Professor Frank Maximilian Kneussl, Ph.D., 71. He was one of three DMU faculty members who founded the physician assistant program. He also helped develop the podiatric medicine program and the histology course and laboratory manual for osteopathic medical and podiatric medical students. He taught first-year PA students as well as osteopathic and podiatric medical students.
Dr. Kneussl earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in anatomy at Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine. The recipient of a National Institutes of Health pre-doctoral research fellowship, he taught anatomy at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and, in 1972, joined the anatomy faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Dr. Kneussl joined the faculty of the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, now DMU, in 1980. He served on many faculty and University committees in addition to his teaching activities.
In 1996 DMU created the Frank Kneussl Service Award, given each year to two PA students, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the program. In 2005 Dr. Kneussl received the program’s Distinguished Professor Award and the DMU Appreciation Award from the student government. Upon his retirement that year, he was awarded the status of professor emeritus.
