Susan LeFrancois

Dr. Susan LeFrancois joined Florida Polytechnic University in July 2013, and has helped to design and build curriculum, participated in outreach activities, and helped to develop industry relationships. Her background extends from work as an educator to industry jobs in the areas of quality assurance and government regulation.

She has taught students science from pre-school to college. From 2008-2012, she was an instructor in industrial and management systems in the College of Engineering at the University of South Florida in Tampa. The program was for industry professionals and provided a graduate certificate in medical device and regulatory affairs.

LeFrancois also served as director of quality assurance for FTSI, an industrial sterilizer of medical devices and packaging. She developed and maintained the quality system according to ISO 13485 guidelines. In addition, she was a sterilization industry consultant for the gamma and EtO medical device sterilization industries.

LeFrancois received her doctorate in pharmacology and physiology from the University of Florida in Gainesville and her bachelor’s in chemistry from the University of South Florida. Also, LeFrancois received a graduate certificate in health informatics from the University of South Florida.

Education

• Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Physiology, 2004, University of Florida
• B.A. in Chemistry, 1999, University of South Florida
• Graduate Certificate in Health Informatics, 2016, University of South Florida

Expertise

• Population health
• Social determinants of health
• Healthcare in the U.S.
• Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
• DMXBA/ GTS-21

Professional Activities

• HIMSS (member)
• Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine (Board Member)

Select Publications

• Svetoslav H.Slavov, Maksim Radzvilovits, Susan LeFrancois,Iva B.Stoyanova-Slavova, Ferenc Soti, William R.Kem, Alan R.Katritzky. (2010). “A computational study of the binding of 3-(arylidene) anabaseines to two major brain nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and to the acetylcholine binding protein.” European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 45, 2433-2446.
• William R Kem, Vladimir M Mahnir, Laszlo Prokai, Roger L Papke, Xuefang Cao, Susan LeFrancois, Kristin Wildeboer, Katalin Prokai-Tatrai, Julia Porter-Papke, Ferenc Soti. (2004). “Hydroxy metabolites of the Alzheimer’s drug candidate 3-[(2, 4-dimethoxy) benzylidene]-anabaseine dihydrochloride (GTS-21): their molecular properties, interactions with brain nicotinic receptors, and brain penetration.” Molecular pharmacology, 65, 56-67.
• William Kem, Ferenc Soti, Kristin Wildeboer, Susan LeFrancois, Kelly MacDougall, Dong-Qing Wei, Kuo-Chen Chou, Hugo R Arias. (2006) “The nemertine toxin anabaseine and its derivative DMXBA (GTS-21): Chemical and pharmacological properties.” Marine Drugs, 4, 255-273.
• William R. Kem, Kristin Wildeboer, Susan LeFrancois, Ma’an Raja, William Marszalec, Jean-Claude Braekman. (2004) “Nicotinic Receptor Inhibition by Tetraponera Ant Alkaloids,” Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, 24, 535-551.
• SE LeFrancois. A structure activity investigation of benzylidene anabaseine interactions with the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Dissertation, 2004.