Richard Oscar Francis, MD, PhD

Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine
Pathology - Clinical
Accepting New Patients
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Overview

Email: rof3@cumc.columbia.edu

Academic Appointments

  • Associate Professor of Pathology & Cell Biology at CUMC

Administrative Titles

  • Medical Director, Special Hematology and Coagulation Laboratory
  • Co-Medical Director, Automated Laboratory and Point of Care Testing Assistant Program
  • Director, Residency Training in Clinical Pathology

Hospital Affiliations

  • NewYork-Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Gender

  • Male

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Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
  • PhD, Columbia University
  • Residency: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center
  • Fellowship: 2011 New York Blood Center

Committees, Societies, Councils

AABB - American Association of Blood Banks

ASH - American Society of Hematology

ACLPS - Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists

Board Certifications

  • Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine
  • Clinical Pathology

Honors & Awards

  • 2017 National Blood Foundation Scholar Award, National Blood Foundation
  • 2013 The Dr. Joseph G. Fink Laboratory Medicine Faculty Teaching Award, Columbia University Medical Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Department of Pathology and Cell Biology
  • 2011 Paul E. Strandjord Young Investigator Award, Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists

Research

The goal of my research is to make blood transfusion therapy as safe and effective as possible. To achieve this goal, I employ human studies, mouse models, and in vitro systems to understand the factors that affect the storage quality of blood products and the impact of transfusion on recipients. In particular, my research has mainly focused on the contribution of oxidative stress to the pathophysiological changes in red blood cells that occur during refrigerated storage.

Selected Publications

  • Francis RO, Strauss D, Williams J, Whaley S, Shaz BH. West Nile Virus infection in blood donors in the New York City area during the 2010 seasonal epidemic. Transfusion. 2012; 52:2664-2670.
  • Francis RO, Jhang J, Hendrickson JE, Zimring JC, Hod EA, Spitalnik SL. Frequency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient red blood cell units in a metropolitan transfusion service. Transfusion. 2013; 53:606-611.
  • Francis RO, Jhang JS, Pham HP, Hod EA, Zimring JC, Spitalnik SL. Glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in transfusion medicine: the unknown risks. Vox Sanguinis. 2013; 105: 271-282.
  • Raciti PM, Francis RO, Spitalnik PF, Schwartz J, Jhang JS. Acquired hemoglobin variants and exposure to glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient red blood cell units during exchange transfusion for sickle cell disease in a patient requiring antigen- matched blood. Journal of Clinical Apheresis. 2013; 28:325-329.
  • Cohn CS, Stubbs J, Schwartz J, Francis R, Goss C, Cushing M, Shaz B, Mair D, Brantigan B, Heaton WA. A comparison of adverse reaction rates for PAS C versus plasma platelet units. Transfusion. 2014; 54:1927-1934.
  • Sagiv E, Fasano RM, Luban NLC, Josephson CD, Stowell SR, Roback JD, Francis RO, Yee MEM. Glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase deficient red blood cell units are associated with decreased post-transfusion red blood cell survival in children with sickle cell disease. American Journal of Hematology. 2018; 93:630-634.
  • Francis RO, Mahajan S, Rapido F, La Carpia F, Soffing M, Divgi C, Yeh R, Mintz A, Lenhurst L, Agrest I, Karafin MS, Ginzburg Y, Shaz BH, Spitalnik SL, Schwartz J,Thomas T, Fu X, Amireault P, Buffet P, Zimring JC, D’Alessandro A, Hod EA. Reexamination of the chromium-51-labeled posttransfusion red blood cell recovery method. Transfusion. 2019; 59:2264-2275.
  • Karafin MS, Francis RO. Impact of G6PD status on red cell storage and transfusion outcomes. Blood Transfusion. 2019; 17:289-295.
  • Francis RO, D’Alessandro A, Eisenberger A, Soffing M, Yeh R, Coronel E, Sheikh A, Rapido F, La Carpia F, Reisz JA, Gehrke S, Nemkov T, Thomas T, Schwartz J, Divgi C, Kessler DA, Shaz BH, Ginzburg Y, Zimring JC, Spitalnik SL, Hod EA. Donor glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency decreases blood quality for transfusion. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2020; 130:2270-2285.&
  • Yee ME, Francis RO, Luban NLC, Easley KA, Lough CM, Roback JD, Josephson CD, Fasano RM. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is more prevalent in Duffy-null red blood cell transfusion in sickle cell disease. Transfusion. 2022; 62:551-555.

For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov