Hi. I’m Dr. William E. Franklin. My professional name is William E. Franklin, DO, MBA. I work at Mercy Southwest and Mercy Downtown Hospital emergency departments.

Before I became a doctor, I was a farm boy from Iowa. I grew up on a farm, the son of farmers. Going to college was a dream come true for me. I attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and graduated with Biology and General Science degrees. After graduation from college, I worked as a research assistant with the VA (Veterans Administration) while I weighed the option of research vs. clinical medicine. I chose clinical medicine.

I graduated from medical school at Des Moines University in Des Moines, Iowas, in 1994. After graduation, I spent one year as an intern at McLaren Macomb Hospital in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. After graduation from this program, I spent 3 years in specialty training in emergency medicine in Allentown/Bethlehem, PA, at St. Lukes's Hospital and Lehigh Valley Hospital.

After graduating from specialty training, I entered into active duty in the United States Navy, where I spent just over 3 years as an officer in the US Navy Medical Corps. After finishing my tour of duty, I spent the next 8 years working in community hospital emergency departments in Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee, and Sheboygan in Wisconsin, and Rockford, Illinois.

I earned an MBA (Masters of Business Administration) in Healthcare Management from Quinnipiac University in 2017.

In 2009, I married a Bakersfield native and have lived in Bakersfield ever since.

When I’m not at work, I enjoy spending time with my family, cycling, playing guitar, or listening to music.

*As far as I know, I’m not directly related to Benjamin Franklin, but I always like to conjure up this image to help people remember my name.