Chris DeFrancesco '94 (CLAS)

Chris DeFrancesco has been writing for UConn Health since 2007. He is a proud graduate of UConn’s journalism program. As an undergraduate in Storrs he was one of the play-by-play voices of UConn men’s and women’s basketball on WHUS-FM, a writer for the Daily Campus, and a campus shuttle bus driver. He’s been a freelance writer, editor of two weekly newspapers (Bloomfield Journal and Windsor Locks Journal), and most notably a reporter and anchor on WTIC NewsTalk 1080. He is a four-time winner of the Connecticut Associated Press Broadcasters Association Walt Dibble Award for Personal Excellence in Radio. His work also has earned recognition from the Connecticut pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Chris is an elected officer in his union (UHP Local 3837) and serves on the board of the Newington Children’s Theatre Company, Connecticut’s longest-running youth theatre program. He lives in Newington with his wife, Caroline, daughter, Audrey, and their dogs, Spot and Alex.


Author Archive

A person in blue medical gloves using a syringe to draw COVID-19 vaccine from a vial.

What You Need to Know About Your Next COVID Booster

The new COVID-19 vaccines recently authorized for use as boosters generate an immune response not only to the original strain, but also two omicron subvariants. UConn Health’s Dr. David Banach explains

Rick McCarthy portrait

Homecoming for UConn Health’s New CIO

UConn Health’s new chief information officer, Rick McCarthy, is a Connecticut native, UConn alumnus, and Navy veteran.

The UConn Health Pulse Podcast logo.

Podcast: Back to School, 2022

UConn Health’s Dr. Erica Waddington offers tips and observations based on her experience as a family medicine physician who sees both students and parents, often from the same household.

Tackling the Opioid Crisis in Collaboration

UConn Health is working with Community Mental Health Affiliates to carry out a recently launched intervention program that focuses on vulnerable populations by removing barriers to treatment and resources.

COVID-Stroke Link Goes Back to 2020 UConn Health Biopsy

It is widely accepted that COVID-19 can increase the risk of stroke, even in those who otherwise normally would not be in a higher-risk group. One of the first pieces of scientific evidence of that association comes from a UConn Health case, explained in the journal "Operative Neurosurgery."

Monkeypox negative result area checked with red highlighter blood test tubes on blue background with copy space.

Monkeypox: A Brief Introduction

How is it transmitted, treated, and prevented? What is the risk, how contagious is it, and how sick can it make us? UConn Health’s Dr. David Banach explains

Dr. Cato T. Laurencin in white coat with anatomic model

Regenerative Engineering Society Names Award for Founder Cato T. Laurencin

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers Foundation and the AICHE Regenerative Engineering Society have established an award in honor of the society's founder.

President Joe Biden takes off a mask as he enters the Rose Garden to deliver remarks on COVID-19 at the White House on July 27, 2022 in Washington, D.C.

Insight on President Biden’s COVID-19 ‘Rebound Positive’

UConn Health’s Dr. David Banach explains how a fully vaccinated and boosted person could test positive, negative, and positive again for COVID-19 within a 10-day span

Dr. Cato T. Laurencin

Biden Administration Appoints Dr. Cato T. Laurencin to Selection Panel

Laurencin has been reappointed to the National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI) Nomination Evaluation Committee.

Cyclists hold up their bikes on the Atlantic shore

’22 Coast to Coast Comes Home

Dustin Moore, Julia Neri, and Brian Legato, the students making up the UConn Health’s 17th Coast to Coast for a Cause team, pedal for seven weeks and more than 3,000 miles to complete this year’s cross-country bicycle tour for charity.