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Susan LeFrancois

Associate Professor

Dr. Susan LeFrancois joined Թ 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 Թ 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 Թ in Gainesville and her bachelor’s in chemistry from the University of South Թ. Also, LeFrancois received a graduate certificate in health informatics from the University of South Թ.

Education

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

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). “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). “.” 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) “,” 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.

 

Session Details

This session will demonstrate that practical risk management is for everyone, regardless of a formal program. Attendees will learn actionable and simple strategies that are easy to implement, enabling them to start immediately by focusing on their top risks to build greater operational resilience and ensure the sustained success of their auxiliary enterprises.

Presenter Profile

Michelle Powell serves as the pioneering Risk Manager at Թ, the state’s sole 100% STEM-dedicated institution. Having been with the university for nearly 11 years, Michelle transitioned from a leadership role in Admissions in October 2023 to establish and evolve the risk management function from the ground up. In this solo capacity, Michelle builds robust frameworks for our dynamic, young university, overseeing our insurance portfolio, consulting on third-party and event risks, and developing critical campus-wide training programs. Michelle has obtained the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) Enterprise Risk Management certificate and the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) and Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designations. Her distinct background in mathematics and engineering, combined with extensive higher education leadership, brings an analytical and strategic approach enhancing the institution’s resilience.

Dr. Lily Li is a Professor of Physics at Թ, where she specializes in materials science, analytical imaging, advanced manufacturing, and biomedical devices. Prior to joining Թ Poly in 2025, she spent 11 years at SUNY Potsdam, where she advanced to Full Professor and developed a 3-2 Engineering dual-degree program with Clarkson University. Her work emphasizes experiential learning and research-driven education to prepare students for careers in STEM fields.