Franklin Lafayette DeBusk, MD was a devoted physician who cared deeply for his pediatric patients, a superb researcher who worked relentlessly, and a teacher and mentor to generations of medical students, pediatric housestaff, and fellow physicians.
The DeBusk Lectureship was established in 2002 by Dr. DeBusk’s family and friends. For those individuals who knew and worked with Dr. DeBusk during his almost three decades on the faculty of the Department of Pediatrics, Dr. DeBusk was a peerless physician for children, a quiet unassuming and effective mentor, and a friend to all who came under his tutelage.
Dr. DeBusk possessed many talents. Foremost among them was his ability to observe and teach residents and students the art of observation. Clinically, he is most remembered for his ability to describe and diagnose dermatological conditions in children.
Franklin L. DeBusk, MD
December 13, 1922 – November 27, 2007
Dr. DeBusk was born and raised in Gainesville. He graduated from the University of Florida and attended the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. He then completed his primary pediatric training at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston before completing a fellowship in ambulatory pediatrics at Tulane University in New Orleans. Dr. Debusk also served as a captain in the Army as chief of pediatrics.
Dr. DeBusk began practicing pediatrics in 1952 in Pensacola, FL, where he remained until 1966. He and his family then moved to Gainesville, where he joined Tom Brill, MD, and George A. Dell, MD, in general pediatrics. Later that year, he fulfilled his aspiration for teaching when he joined the faculty of the University of Florida College of Medicine, department of pediatrics.
He served as division chief of general pediatrics from 1966-1985. After his term as chief, he continued outreach work running clinics throughout rural North Florida and was the sole provider in the Children’s Medical Services screening clinics. He is legendary for his work with medical students and pediatric residents, not only teaching general pediatrics but also for investigating the art of Florida’s rural cuisine. In addition to being a general pediatrician, he was internationally known for his research on progeria, a disease that causes premature aging in children.
He retired from the department of pediatrics in 1994. The Franklin L. DeBusk Lectureship was established by his family and friends to honor his legacy.
Previous Guest Speakers
| Year | Speaker | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Lindsay Thompson, MD | Seeing Children’s Health in the Context of Social Drivers; 25 Years of (Serendipity and a Little Intentionality) Focusing on the Causes of the Causes |
| 2022 | Shari Barkin, MD | Health as an Emergent Property: Using a Life Course Lens to Understand Obesity Prevention |
| 2021 | Mary Margaret Gleason, MD | Early Childhood Mental Health in Primary Care |
| 2019 | John Lantos, MD | Hot Topics in Pediatric Bioethics |
| 2018 | Gary L. Freed, MD, MPH | Who is Taking Care of America’s Children? Insights into the Pediatric Workforce |
| 2017 | Arvin Garg, MD, MPH | Addressing Social Determinants of Health: The Past, Present, and Future of Pediatrics |
| 2016 | Daniel R. Neuspiel, MD, MPH | Challenges of Patient Safety in the Pediatric Outpatient Setting |
| 2014 | Roland W. Gray, MD, FAAP, FASAM | Physician Health in the 21st Century |
| 2013 | Janet Serwint, MD | Humanism in Pediatric End of Life Issues |
| 2011 | Robert Block, MD, FAAP | –– |
| 2010 | Stephen Berman, MD, FAAP | –– |
| 2009 | Lawrence F. Nazarian, MD | –– |
| 2008 | Neil S. Prose, MD | –– |
| 2007 | Stanford Shulman, MD | –– |
| 2006 | Andrew Margileth, MD | –– |
| 2005 | Mary Ann Engle, MD | –– |
| 2004 | Victor McKusick, MD | –– |