Frank von Sonnenburg
Karl Neumann, MD, FAAP
ISTM has been fortunate in that every one of our Presidents has come to the office with long lists of distinguished accomplishments in the field of travel medicine and related endeavors. But the credentials of our President-elect go further. He is a "von". Frank
von Sonnenburg. He has that three-letter Teutonic word tucked in between his first and last names, a word that baffles many of
us, especially those of us who are of a non-Teutonic background. Does the "von" make our future leader of royal blood, perhaps a
prince or a duke, disguised as an everyman in order to blend in with the rest of us? Is it proper to address him by his first name? Is there
an asterisk on his blood type report that says "blue?"
"My family's origins go back many, many hundreds of years, at least to the 15th century, to the best of my knowledge," says Frank. "At one time my family owned estates and, I am pretty sure, also a castle, in what was then Southern Austria but is now Italy. Very little is known about the early von Sonnenburgs. I sometimes wonder whether this was intentional, that perhaps they had something to hide. I don't know. But during one of the numerous political upheavals that affected Europe, the land was simply taken away from my family. So, while I am still a `von', unfortunately I no longer have the land.
"But I am far more interested in the present and in the future than in the past. I am excited by what is happening in Europe today, not what happened yesterday: European unification, for example. I consider my first nationality to be European. Whether we like it or not, borders, in Europe and elsewhere, are no longer barriers and we must adapt to this, whether it is in politics, in economics, in international health, or in the vision of the ISTM."
If nothing else, Frank is frank, outspoken. He possesses strong, well-thought out opinions on numerous subjects, usually well researched, and is never afraid to express them, even when his views are on the unpopular side. At ISTM Board meetings, for example, he presents his case convincingly, swaying the opposition with words of sugar and honey, explaining in great detail why they should change their opinions, and he instinctively knows when a consensus is forming behind him, and when to call for a vote, a vote that generally goes in his favor. He has used these talents admirably as the long time exchequer of the ISTM treasury and the overseer of many of ISTM's most successful meetings. He has ruled with tightfisted control over spending, keeping long ledgers in books, but able to recite most of the figures from memory.
If Frank were, indeed, of royalty, it would be said of him that his entire life was carefully orchestrated for him so that some day he would be prepared to rule the realm, in this case the world of the ISTM. And, mysteriously, his life and his career toward ISTM leadership started well before travel medicine was a recognized entity and before there was an ISTM. Born in Munich (his father was a publisher of art books, his mother a dentist), raised in Vienna, he trained in medicine and infectious diseases at several universities in Germany, did post-graduate work in New York and Hawaii, and carried out extensive research, mostly in AIDS, over many years, in various countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in the Philippines and Jamaica. Medline lists 76 articles that carry his name as one of the authors; and there are many other articles he has written. Presently he is Deputy Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at the University of Munich and Head of the Section of International Medicine and Public Health.
Frank, outspoken as ever, believes that his career decisions have eminently qualified him to lead (rule?) the ISTM. But not for the reasons that would first come to mind such as overseas experience, research in international health, having lived in developing countries, having been in charge of a travel medicine clinic, and long time association with the ISTM, for example. "Whether we like it or not, in today's world, and in nearly all aspects of medicine, having knowledge of business and finance is extremely useful, often essential. Budgeting, for example, is an extremely important concept. My career choices have forced me to learn about these things. In Munich, I head a large international department with a huge budget. I have been secretary/treasurer of the ISTM since 1997. As the overseer of several ISTM meetings with attendance of close to 2,000 and located in different countries, I had to estimate expenses, attendance, fluctuation of currencies, and numerous other economic variables. And as long time ISTM secretary/treasurer, I have to keep track of money and investments."
Other attributes that contribute to a present day successful president of an international organization include an understanding family, tolerating (even better, enjoying) travel, communication skills to be able to stay in touch with one's home and office, and the ability to stay awake at meetings after all-night flights. Frank does these fairly well, but he does admit that, if he cannot schedule a post-lunch nap after such flights, the nap may take place at afternoon meetings. (Rumors say he snores, proving that he is everyman after all.) He travels more than 200,000 miles in most years and is away from home about one out of every five or six nights.
Spare time activities? "What spare time?" says Frank. "When I was young, I played a lot of chess, and was fairly good, if I may say so myself. I played in youth championship tournaments in Austria and Germany. But chess is very time consuming. I hardly play at all anymore. When I get a chance I like to go sailing, with my family, if possible." He is married and has two sons, one studying medicine in Vienna, where Frank studied.
His vision for his presidency? "I am very fortunate that my predecessors have developed a well-organized and well-functioning organization. I generally agree with the directions the organization is going. We should work with but stay independent of government. We should place more emphasis on migration medicine. We need to convince the public and the medical community that we are about more than just helping rich tourists from rich countries stay healthy and comfortable in the developing world. In fact, there are health and safety issues in the developed world that need attention. And we should do more to develop travel medicine in Eastern Europe and in the developing world. And, very importantly, I want to make sure that all our members feel that they are part of our Society, that they have a voice in decision making."
Frank will take office in Vancouver in 2007.
Karl is the editor of NewsShare and writes frequently about travel medicine for travel medicine professionals and for the public
