
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
Podcast: Changing MS Patients’ Trajectory
The UConn Health Multiple Sclerosis Center's director and clinical care coordinator explain how the elite care of an MS center can minimize disease progression and delay the onset of disability.
March 1, 2021 | Chris DeFrancesco '94 (CLAS)
Winter in the Emergency Department: Careful With that Snowblower
Add potential COVID-19 cases to the list of what the providers in the UConn John Dempsey Hospital ED are seeing this time of year, along with winter’s common health hazards from snow removal and injuries from winter sports.
February 15, 2021 | Chris DeFrancesco '94 (CLAS)
Podcast: Cranial Nerve and Brain Stem Disorders
The co-founders of UConn Health's Cranial Nerve and Brain Stem Disorder Program explain how they harnesses an elite combination of experts across multiple specialties to treat the most complicated conditions.
January 28, 2021 | Chris DeFrancesco '94 (CLAS)
Optimizing Nourishment in the NICU
The Connecticut Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the UConn John Dempsey Hospital is offering a high-tech tool for moms to ensure their infants get the most out of breast milk and formula feeding.
January 28, 2021 | Chris DeFrancesco '94 (CLAS)
National Multiple Sclerosis Society Honors UConn MS Center Director
Dr. Jaime Imitola, director of UConn Health’s Multiple Sclerosis Center, is the only health care provider to receive a 2020 Inspiration Award from the National MS Society.
January 21, 2021 | Chris DeFrancesco '94 (CLAS)
Spotlight on Services: ‘The Lab’ at UConn Health
The chair of UConn Health’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine provides an inside look at the contributions of the clinical laboratory and the employees who’ve been keeping it running during the pandemic.
January 13, 2021 | Chris DeFrancesco '94 (CLAS)
Global Leadership in Multiple Sclerosis and the COVID-19 Vaccine
The director of UConn Health’s Multiple Sclerosis Center, Dr. Jaime Imitola, is part of a group of international experts that just came out with recommendations about the COVID-19 vaccine in the MS population.
January 11, 2021 | Chris DeFrancesco '94 (CLAS)
UConn Health’s Dr. David Banach Explains the COVID-19 Vaccine
UConn Health's Dr. David Banach talks about the COVID-19 vaccine - what it does, what to expect when getting it, and what might come next.
December 16, 2020 | Chris DeFrancesco '94 (CLAS)
Podcast: Healing With Our Own Cells
“It’s not a drug, we’re just taking your own components… You are only receiving your same cells and it all happens in the same visit.” —Dr. Allison Schafer Some bone, joint, tendon and ligament injuries are now treatable using what’s known as an orthobiologic approach. It’s when the patient is injected with a therapy derived […]
December 1, 2020 | Chris DeFrancesco '94 (CLAS)
Unique Schwann Cells: The Eyes Have It
UConn Health neuroscience researchers are finding genetic properties of what are known as Schwann cells in the cornea that may hold the key to breakthroughs in sensory function, healing, and even regeneration.
November 20, 2020 | Chris DeFrancesco '94 (CLAS)