Denise Marie Arayata Francisco, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine
Department of Internal Medicine
Related Sites:
About
Dr. Francisco is an Infectious Diseases specialist currently working at UICOMP. She has a particular interest in Immunocompromised, Transplant, and Oncology-Related ID along with Global Health.
She completed medical school at the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines and then moved to the U.S. to pursue an Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Connecticut. There, she found her passion for Infectious Diseases. Due to this, she underwent ID sub-specialty training with a focus on the immunocompromised host at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and finished a third-year fellowship with a focus on transplant and oncology infectious disease at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center.
She is now an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria. She assists with patient care at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, with an active role in supporting the solid organ transplant teams. She also helps teach residents and medical students during didactic sessions on microbiology and internal medicine, along with aspects of clinical care while rounding.
Selected Publications
Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology: ASHE
Francisco, D., Woc-Colburn, L., Carlson, T., Lasco, T., Barrett, M., Al Mohajer, M. “The effect of a plasma next-generation sequencing test on antimicrobial management in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients-A single-center retrospective study” Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol. 2023 Feb 17;3(1):e31. doi: 10.1017/ash.2022.356. PMID: 36865703; PMCID: PMC9972541.
Infectious Diseases and Therapy
Francisco, D., Zhang L, Jiang Y, Olvera A, Adachi J, Guevara EY, Aitken SL, Garey KW, Peterson CB, Do KA, Dillon R, Obi EN, Jenq R, Okhuysen PC. “Risk Factors Associated with Severe Clostridioides difficile Infection in Patients with Cancer”. Infect Dis Ther. 2023 Jan;12(1):209-225. doi: 10.1007/s40121-022-00722-9. Epub 2022 Nov 28. PMID: 36443547; PMCID: PMC9868205.
Open Forum Infectious Diseases
Francisco, D., Woc-Colburn, L., Carlson, T., Lasco, T., Barrett, M., Al Mohajer, M. “The Use of Plasma Next-Generation Sequencing Test in the Management of Immunocompetent and Immunocompromised Patients – A Single Center Retrospective Study” Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Volume 7, Issue Supplement_1, October 2020, Pages S393–S394, https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaa439.872
Open Forum Infectious Diseases
Francisco, D., Zhang, L., Jiang, Y., Olvera, A., Yepez Guevara, E., Garey, K., Peterson, C., Dillon, R., Obi, E., Okhuysen, P. “Metronidazole Exposure Prior to Clostridiodes difficile Infection (CDI) is a Risk Factor for Severe C. difficile Disease in Cancer Patients”. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Volume 7, Issue Supplement_1, October 2020, Pages S442–S443, https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaa439.988
American Journal of Transplantation
Francisco, D., Woc-Colburn, L., Nicholls, P., Hemmersbach-Miller, M. “Graft versus Host Disease in a Liver Transplant Patient”. Am J Transplant. May 2020; 20 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/graft-versus-host-disease-in-a-liver-transplant-patient/.
Infection
Cabrera, N., Malek, A., Shelburne, S., Taremi, M., Awadh, H., Francisco, D., Robins, A., Jabbour, E., Chemaly, R. “Disseminated Cytomegalovirus Infection With Bilateral Adrenal Pseudotumors Masquerading as Recurrent Hematologic Malignancy”. Infection. 2020 Jun; 48(3):477-481. doi: 10.1007/s15010-020-01404-9. Epub 2020 Mar 6.
Open Forum Infectious Diseases
Francisco, D., Olvera, A., Zhang, L., Yepez Guevara, E., Garey, K., Peterson, C., Do, K., Dillon, R., Jenq, R., Okhuysen, P. “Fecal Collinsella Abundance is Negatively Associated with Toxin A/B Production in Cancer Patients with Clostridiodes difficile”. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Volume 6, Issue Supplement_2, October 2019, Pages S821–S822, https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofz360.2058
CHEST Student/Resident Case Report
Shah, P., Sharma, A., Fraulino, D., Chauhan, A., Francisco, D., “A Rare Case Spontaneous Bacterial Empyema due to Pasteurella multicoda”. CHEST Student/Resident Case Report Poster – Disorders of the Pleura 2. October 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2018.08.476
American College of Physicians Hospitalist
Manaktala, R., Francisco, D. “Cases from the University of Connecticut Acetaminophen overdose, refractory afib, critical aortic stenosis, and more.” ACP Hospitalist – Brief Case. January 2018. https://acphospitalist.org/archives/2018/01/brief-case-university-of-connecticut.htm
Journal of Clinical and Translational Hepatology
Uy, P., Francisco, D., Trivedi, A., O’Loughlin, M., Wu, G. “Vascular Diseases of the Spleen: A Review”. J Clin Transl Hepatol 2017;5(2):1–13. doi: 10.14218/JCTH.2016.00062.
Publication Aggregators
Education
Transplant ID and Oncology Fellowship: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX)
Infectious Diseases Fellowship: Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX)
Internal Medicine Residency: University of Connecticut (Farmington, CT)
Medical School: University of Santo Tomas, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery (Manila, Philippines)
Undergraduate: University of the Philippines (Manila, Philippines)
Licensures and Certifications
Licensed Physician, State of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
ABIM Infectious Disease Certification
ABIM Internal Medicine Certification
Professional Memberships
Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), Member
American Society of Transplantation
American College of Physicians (ACP), Member