Christopher DeFrancesco '95 (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. Chris also 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

Woman speaking to group in conference room.

RN Residency Positions New Nurses to Thrive

A record 32 recent nursing school graduates are part of a new UConn Health program specifically for early-career nurses

Dr. Hardeep Singh with patient in exam room

A 3D-Printed Solution for the Spine

UConn Health spine surgeon Dr. Hardeep Singh uses devices fabricated to specific patient's anatomy to perform spinal fusion

An illustration depicting a doctor's stethoscope as seen through a transparent pane of glass.

Keeping Sports From Becoming a Dangerous Game

While others consider lowering return-to-play threshold for athletes with genetic heart disease, UConn is holding to its high standard

The UConn Health Pulse Podcast logo.

Podcast: Meet the ‘Trauma Avengers’

Some creative characters are part of a UConn Health-led nationwide project to improve mental health services for teens and young adults.

Eight students in cycling gear

UConn Medical, Dental Students Complete 18th X-Country Bike Tour

A record eight students carry on the UConn Health first-year summer tradition Coast to Coast for a Cause

Portrait in front of open window with hospital tower in background

Population Health Team Exhibits Leadership at Multiple Levels

AVP Khadija Poitras-Rhea explains how her team demonstrates leadership, with the patients it serves and among its own members

The UConn Health Pulse Podcast logo.

Podcast: Start School Sleep Schedule Soon!

Don't wait until the night before the first day of school to prioritize sleep, says UConn Health sleep disorders specialist

Two women in lab coats working in a lab

Research Grant Targets Hao-Fountain Syndrome

Foundation for USP7 Related Diseases supports UConn Health structural biologist Irina Bezsonova's study of rare genetic disorder

A notepad showing the chemical diagram of the artificial sweetener aspartame next to a bowl of it.

Tackling the Aspartame Argument with a UConn Health Expert

Natalie Ranelli, registered dietitian in UConn Health’s Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, weighs in on synthetic sweetener’s safety

two men playing ping pong

UConn Health Patient Starts ‘Parkie Pong’ in Her Community

Ping pong shown to benefit motor function; social work, as a component of Parkinson’s disease care, emphasizes importance of socialization and community resources