Frank worked as a research assistant with David Kupfer and Thomas Detre at the University of Pittsburgh, who inspired her to investigate the science of treatment in psychiatry.
[10] She received a MERIT award from the National Institute of Mental Health which supported her work in developing Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy.
"[12] IPSRT assumes that disruptions in circadian and social rhythms, including eating and sleeping schedules, place vulnerable individuals at an elevated risk for onsets of episodes of depression or mania.
Frank's book titled Treating Bipolar Disorder: A Clinician's Guide to Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy provides a manual for beginning therapists interested in adopting this treatment approach.
[16][17] Some of Frank's most cited research has focused on individuals who suffer from recurrent depression; these studies examined the efficacy of interpersonal psychotherapy as maintenance treatment alone or in combination with medication in preventing relapse.