A native of Great Falls, MT, she earned her Bachelor of Science degrees in Microbiology and Medical Technology from The University of Montana in Missoula, MT, in 2002. Dr. Frank attended Mayo Graduate School, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, in Rochester, MN, where she earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences-Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2007. She carried out her dissertation research on Staphylococcus lugdunesis biofilm formation in the laboratory of Dr. Robin Patel. Dr. Frank completed her postdoctoral research in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN, where she worked with Drs. Gary Dunny and Patrick Schlievert. She joined the faculty at USU in January 2016.