alex-franke

Alex Franke, MD (He/Him)

  • About Me

    I grew up in beautiful and perpetually damp Seattle, Washington where I spent much of my youth bouncing between the mountains and the Salish Sea. After high school I spent some time in NYC, followed by a few years going to school and working as an EMT in New Orleans. After realizing that I was more of a mountain person than a bayou person, I moved to Park City to work as a ski patroller. Following my time in Park City I spent a season doing search and rescue in Yosemite National Park where I learned to stifle my fear of heights, bears, and improper refrigeration. I returned to Seattle to finish my undergraduate degree in philosophy, and was lucky enough to be accepted as a member of the inaugural class at Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. During medical school I was able to bridge my love for medicine and the outdoors by spending two seasons doing search and rescue in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and getting involved with a student run wilderness medicine conference. I could not be more stoked to be returning to Utah to continue my training!

    Medical Areas of Interest

    Wilderness Medicine, toxicology, street medicine

    Interests & Hobbies

    The stereotypical EM activities: skiing, climbing, biking, trail running, sailing, SCUBA diving, and generally anything that gets me outdoors. Petting other people’s dogs, eating doughnuts (both purchased and dumpster dived), watching soccer (go Sounders!), drinking kombucha, reading philosophy, and writing comedy.

    My Dog Suko
    https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/THny8uOJToH1vY8NbxcWjzeF9RBOvrwkAlcPDFnU4dpAb4ckCIYE7yX5I89BmlOKxZcZgj7vLh49spo7r5u9sBrpNH8kYumkiD7fzTHfd5o_OvXaqTkn97qpXTB-QirlWzP3SprcTruTov6cBis-mwQ

    Why Utah?

    Despite the fact that the interview season was entirely virtual, Utah stuck out as the place that I wanted to be for the next few years. The faculty that I met had a passion for EM, were clearly enthusiastic about teaching, and are doing incredible research that will shape the future of our specialty. The residents were hardworking, incredibly intelligent, and really seemed like my people. It helped to have worked with some Utah alum in the past who are phenomenal doctors, that end up working in great places. Finally, it seems impossible to find a better work life balance than at Utah. The residents get phenomenal training that prepares them to become leaders in emergency medicine while also having time to do the things they love with the people they care about. Incredible training, phenomenal people, and unbeatable work life balance; what’s not to love?

    Hometown

    Seattle , Washington

  • Education history

    Undergraduate University of Washington (and Tulane University and New York University) B.A.
    Professional Medical Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine M.D.