Richard M. Frankel is Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine. He is also a Senior Research Scientist at the Regenstrief Institute there and holds an appointment in the Health Services Research Unit of the Richard L. Roudebush Veteran's Administration Medical Center.

After completing his Ph.D. in Sociology at the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York, Rich was a post-doctoral fellow in qualitative approaches to mental health research at Boston University. In 1986, he was a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow in Social Medicine and Communication Studies at the University of Uppsala in Sweden. He has also held Visiting Professorships in Holland, Great Britain, Canada, Finland, Norway and the United States. In 1999-2000 he was the recipient of the American Academy on Physician and Patient Award for outstanding contributions to research and teaching on communication, and is a 2005 recipient of a Pfizer Visiting Professorship in Clear Communication; one of ten in the U.S.

Dr. Frankel has published more than 165 research papers in the area of clinician patient, and other forms of face to face communication. His research interests include qualitative research methods; non verbal behavior; the effects of exam room computing on physician patient communication, psychosocial aspects of medical care; the relationship between clinician patient communication and medical malpractice and communication dimensions of disparities in health care.