CTB Development Partner Bio

 

Vincent T. Francisco, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Public Health Education

University of North Carolina at Greensboro


 

Background and Professional Interests:


Dr. Vincent T. Francisco is Associate Professor with the Department of Public Health Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is Director of the doctoral program (DrPH) in community health. Dr. Francisco is primarily interested in research in community development, especially for the enhancement of community integration and support, and work toward empowerment of marginalized groups. His current research portfolio includes research on variables associated with community systems change, building the capacity of community members (especially marginalized groups) for engagement in community health initiatives, and research on variables associated with population-level behavior change in community settings.

Dr. Francisco has considerable experience in the research and evaluation of community-based intervention programs focusing on adolescent development, reduction of risk for HIV/AIDS, teen substance abuse, youth violence, teen parenthood, and chronic/cardiovascular diseases. He also has considerable experience provision of technical support for the development of coalitions. He works with community initiatives to help them build capacity for systems change, create environments in which those organizations can succeed in accomplishing their mission, and evaluate those interventions within an open systems environment.

Prior to his current position at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, he was research faculty at the University of Kansas, where he was Associate Director of the KU Work Group for Community Health and Development, and is a co-inventor (with Fawcett and Schultz) of the Community Tool Box (http://ctb.ku.edu/) and a host of tools for evaluating and building the capacity of community health initiatives.

Dr. Francisco previously served as research data coordinator in the Department of Child and Family Psychology and Psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital and the Brown University School of Medicine. The work there focused on research in the areas of childhood depression, adolescent suicide, childhood survivors of cancer, enuresis and encopresis, eating disorders, stress and gestational diabetes among pregnant women, and risk factors associated with HIV/AIDS. In addition, Dr. Francisco also worked at a residential treatment facility for youth in central New Hampshire. This 50-bed residential and day treatment facility focused on the treatment of boys with emotional handicaps and behavior disorders due to a variety of experiences including childhood sexual assault, neglect, and physical abuse, as well as drug and gang involvement. This facility also had a second program focused on the day and residential treatment of boys and girls with behavior disorders due to autism and developmental disabilities. As assistant director of this facility, Dr. Francisco had primary responsibility for the intake, admission, and discharge of clients in all programs, as well as administrative functioning and licensing.

Dr. Francisco can be reached at the following address:

Vincent T. Francisco, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Public Health Education

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

437 HHP Building, P.O. Box 26170

Greensboro, NC 27402-6170

Telephone: 336.334.5532

Fax: 336.334.3238