Education & Training

Graduate Institution

University Of Tennessee Graduate School Of Medicine

Post-Graduate School

University of Missouri Columbia

Boards

American Nurses Credentialing Center
National Asthma Educator Certification Board

Commercial Relationships and Collaborations

This faculty member or a member of his or her immediate family has a working relationship, such as providing consulting, research, or educational services, with the companies listed below. These relationships have been reported to the University of Missouri and, if appropriate, plans have been established to address potential conflicts. The following relationships were reported as of July 2020.

IMPACT Health Care

Insurances

MU Health Care participates with most major managed care organizations. To find out whether MU Health Care is a participating provider in your insurance plan or network, or for information on co-payments and deductibles, please contact your insurance carrier directly.

Academic Information

Teaching Professor, Pulmonary Medicine
Program Director, Asthma Ready® Communities

Office

400 N Keene St
Columbia, MO 65201
United States

P. 573-884-8629

Research Profile

Benjamin Francisco, PNP, PhD, specializes in pediatric asthma and is director of Asthma Ready® Communities. His team’s mission is to support better care, better health and lower costs for children with asthma.

Francisco’s current research activities are organized under two broad themes: “Teaming Up for Asthma Control” and “Asthma Best Practices.” Together, these approaches support investigations into the impact of aligning community and clinical asthma care with scientific evidence and expert guidelines.

To refine interventions for better outcomes, Francisco’s studies employ Missouri Medicaid administrative claims data that describe asthma risk and burden for more than 50,000 children, as well as biometric and functional assessments of children’s impairment.

Three primary funding streams sustain Francisco’s asthma research endeavors: 15 consecutive years of contracts with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ Asthma Prevention and Control Program, private foundations, and general revenue and special funding from the Missouri Department of Social Services.

Research Interests

  • analysis of administrative claims data to target and evaluate asthma interventions aimed at reducing uncontrolled asthma
  • workforce development to improve asthma care in schools, clinics, hospitals and community agencies
  • assessment of airflow obstruction in childhood asthma
  • improvement of children’s inhalation technique