Friedell Honored with BHN Walter A. Franck Award

COOPERSTOWN—Bassett Healthcare Network has awarded Dr. Benjamin Friedell the 2026 Walter A. Franck Physician Excellence Award, recognizing his outstanding clinical care, scholarship and service to the community. The honor comes as Dr. Friedell retires from his clinical practice at Oneonta Family Practice after nearly 30 years of caring for patients in Otsego County. He will continue serving as medical director of A.O. Fox Nursing Home until a successor is appointed and will remain involved in primary care leadership during the transition.

Dr. Friedell began his career in Worcester, New York, fulfilling a scholarship requirement to practice in a physician‑shortage area. He never left, becoming a central figure in Oneonta’s medical community. Over the years, he held privileges at A.O. Fox Hospital and later joined Bassett Healthcare Network as affiliations deepened. He also founded and continues to direct the Oneonta Community Health Center, a free clinic providing preventive care, chronic disease management and mental health support for community members facing financial hardship.

His leadership extended beyond clinical care. Dr. Friedell served in interim roles including vice president of medical affairs at A.O. Fox Hospital and chief of primary care for Bassett. He also served on the A.O. Fox Hospital Board of Directors, helping guide the transformation of the former Pyramid Mall into FoxCare Center, now a major regional health hub.

A dedicated educator, Dr. Friedell has taught through partnerships with Upstate Medical University, Albany Medical College, the University of Rochester, and Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

As part of the award, he will donate $10,000.00 to the Bob Simon and Loretta Anagnost Patient Assistance Fund and the David S. Svahn Humanities in Medicine Memorial Lecture.

The award Dr. Friedell received is named for Dr. Walter A. Franck, a retired Bassett physician whose influence shaped the network for more than four decades.

A rheumatologist by training, Dr. Franck served as chief of medicine at Bassett Medical Center and played a pivotal role in establishing the Columbia Bassett Program, a partnership that gives medical students immersive training in both New York City and Cooperstown. He later served as associate dean of the medical school until his retirement in 2015.

Known as an exceptional clinician, teacher, and mentor, Dr. Franck helped define Bassett’s culture of rigorous academic medicine and compassionate patient care, officials said. His legacy continues through the program he helped build and through the award that now bears his name, honoring physicians who embody the same commitment to excellence and service.