Benjamin Friedell, MD, Honored with Walter A. Franck Award for Physician Excellence
July 28, 2026
Benjamin Friedell, MD, a physician who has made a lasting impact on Bassett Healthcare Network, has been honored with the 2026 Walter A. Franck Physician Excellence Award. This award recognizes a physician, nominated by their peers, who exemplifies excellence in the areas of clinical care, scholarship, and citizenship. It is among the most prestigious recognitions awarded by Bassett Healthcare Network to its caregivers.
This award comes at a time of transition in Dr. Friedell’s 40-plus year career in medicine, mentorship, and management. At the end of July 2026, he is retiring from his clinical practice at Oneonta Family Practice where he has seen patients for primary care appointments since 1997. He will continue to serve as Medical Director of A.O. Fox Nursing Home until a new leader is ready to assume that role and remain in an advisory role in Primary Care leadership in Otsego County for a transition period after his retirement from clinical practice.
“There are people that I have cared for over many years, and seen through a lot of ups and downs, and it’s really hard to say goodbye,” said Dr. Friedell. “But that to me is the foundation of primary care, if not all of medicine. It’s the relationship with the patient and the trust they have in me that I’m going to take good care of them.”
A Medical Career Centered on Community'
Dr. Friedell has dedicated the entirety of his career to the care of patients in Oneonta and Otsego County. After earning his medical degree in Ohio and completing his residency in Rochester, a scholarship he had earned required that he practice medicine for three years in an area facing a physician shortage. He established his practice at a small, independent clinic in Worcester, NY. Those three years came and went, but Dr. Friedell never left the area.
“Those were the days when so many more physicians were in private practice,” explains Dr. Friedell. “I had privileges at A.O. Fox Hospital and as hospital medicine became more of a thing, I was hired by the hospital and moved my practice there. Then, as Fox Hospital and Bassett got closer in terms of affiliation, all of the doctors and caregivers who were employed by Fox became part of the network as it currently stands.”
In addition to his many responsibilities at Bassett, Dr. Friedell founded and currently serves as Medical Director of the Oneonta Community Health Center, a free clinic that provides preventative healthcare, management of some chronic medical conditions, referrals to specialists, dietary counseling, mental health support, and other select medical services free of charge to community members facing financial hardship. The clinic was first conceptualized and spearheaded by the Unitarian Universalist Society in Oneonta (UUSO), the church where Dr. Friedell is a member and where he serves as a member of the Board of Trustees. He was President of the Board for seven years.
“I feel it’s important that I have a commitment to the community beyond what I do in my office. It is very moving to see patients at the free clinic who are so thankful that someone is caring for them and not charging them anything,” said Dr. Friedell. “I’m interested in people. I am fortunate enough to have chosen a medical specialty that I have enjoyed for all of the years I’ve been here.”
A Leader During Times of Transition
As his career developed, Dr. Friedell established himself as a leader that A.O. Fox Hospital and Bassett Healthcare Network could rely on: someone willing to step up and take on responsibilities, but also ready to assist others as they grew into leaders.
Included among the many roles he temporarily filled over the years are Interim Vice President of Medical Affairs at A.O. Fox Hospital and Interim Chief of Primary Care across Bassett Healthcare Network.
“I fell into leadership roles without any real desire to do so,” confesses Dr. Friedell, with a laugh. “It’s something I am good at, but I would never have wanted to give up medical practice to pursue it fully. I love providing care to my patients too much for that.”
“I am pleased to congratulate Dr. Ben Friedell as the recipient of the Walter Franck award this year. Beyond being an excellent and compassionate physician, a dedicated teacher and a respected leader, he has been a pillar of our community for many years. It has been a privilege to have called him a colleague,” said Amy Grace, MD, Chief of Primary Care for Bassett Healthcare Network. “This honor is truly well deserved.”
Dr. Friedell served on the A.O. Fox Hospital Board of Directors between 1993 and 2002, a time of change for the hospital. One of his proudest accomplishments during that time was the role he played in Fox Hospital’s purchase and renovation of the former Pyramid Mall in Oneonta, transforming the then-shuttered shopping center into what is now FoxCare Center, a true community healthcare hub that includes primary, specialty, and family dentistry services along with housing a pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, Cyber Café, YMCA Fitness Center, laboratory and medical imaging services, and a Veterans Affairs Community-Based Outpatient Clinic. FoxCare Center is where Oneonta Family Practice is located, where Dr. Friedell currently sees patients.
An Educator Who Passes the Torch
Dr. Friedell has dedicated much of his time also to the education of students pursuing their medical degree, preparing them for what it is like to care for patients in the real world, after graduation.
During his career, he has held academic appointments at Upstate Medical University, based in Syracuse, Albany Medical College, and the University of Rochester. He currently teaches students through Bassett Healthcare Network’s partnership with Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. This unique clinical experience affords enrolled medical students with the opportunity to learn in both New York City and Cooperstown, allowing them to gain in-depth experience and training in rural healthcare systems and trauma response care.
“I’ve always enjoyed teaching. In fact, some of the doctors and nurse practitioners that I taught over the years still practice here in the region,” said Dr. Friedell. “It’s rewarding and sort of like passing the torch. I’ve gotten feedback here and there about how much my students appreciated it, just as I expressed my gratitude to the doctors who I modeled myself after when I was just getting started.”
Dr. Friedell also dedicated nine years to serving on the Board of Education for the Oneonta City School District and served two years on the Otsego County Board of Representatives.
Reflecting on Dr. Walter Franck’s Impact
The Walter A. Franck Award is named in honor of retired Bassett physician Dr. Walter Franck, who served for more than 40 years at Bassett Medical Center as a rheumatologist, and eventually Chief of Medicine, in addition to his key role establishing the Columbia-Bassett Program and serving as associate dean of the medical school until his retirement in 2015.
“I remember Dr. Franck very well. He was at Bassett while I was at Fox and I had a great deal of respect for him as a clinician and as a teacher,” said Dr. Friedell. “This award means a great deal to me and I think, having known Dr. Franck, it means even more.”
“It is so beautifully fitting that Ben Friedell be the recipient of the Walter Franck award this year – he, as Dr. Franck, has been an exceptional physician, a great teacher, a warm and trusted colleague, a leader, a champion of the underserved, and a remarkable role model. His influence will be felt for decades, in the reflected light of what others have learned from him, and passed along in turn,” said Henry Weil MD, Chief Clinical and Academic Officer for Bassett Healthcare Network.
As part of this award, each recipient is awarded $10,000 to be donated to a Bassett Healthcare Network-affiliated charitable cause of their choice. Dr. Friedell has elected to support the Bob Simon & Loretta Anagnost Patient Assistance Fund, which provides non-medical financial assistance to cancer patients facing financial hardship during their treatments, and the David S. Svahn Humanities in Medicine Memorial Lecture, an annual talk that is open to the public meant to instill appreciation of the arts, philosophy, and social sciences in the practitioners at Bassett Healthcare Network to cultivate empathy, connection, and enhanced observational skills.
