Rate My Professor Lee Franco

R. Lee Franco, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. He earned his Ph.D. in Rehabilitation and Movement Science from Virginia Commonwealth University and his M.S. in Exercise Science from The University of Southern Mississippi. As Department Chair, Franco oversees programs that prepare students for careers in exercise interventions for healthy and diseased populations, including the Bachelor of Science with concentrations in exercise science and health science, the Master of Science in Health and Movement Sciences, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation and Movement Science. He directs the Healthy Heart Lab, which investigates the role of lifestyle behaviors—such as physical activity, fitness, sleep, and nutrition—in modulating vascular and inflammatory responses associated with cardiovascular health inequities.

Franco's research specialization in exercise physiology is evidenced by his extensive publications on topics including body composition in heart failure, exercise intolerance in chronic kidney disease, monocyte responses to exercise, inflammation in cardio-oncology, and cardiovascular risks in breast cancer survivors. Key publications include "Lean mass abnormalities in heart failure: the role of sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity, and cachexia" (Current Problems in Cardiology, 2020); "Exercise intolerance in kidney diseases: physiological contributors and therapeutic strategies" (American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology, 2021); "Impact of physical activity on monocyte subset CCR2 expression and macrophage polarization following moderate intensity exercise" (Brain, Behavior, & Immunity-Health, 2020); "NLRP3-mediated Inflammation in CardioOncology: Sterile yet Harmful" (Translational Research, 2022); "Prevalence of Cardiovascular Diseases Among Breast Cancer Survivors: Findings from the NHANES 2003-2018" (American Journal of Health Promotion, 2022); and "Evaluation of a 6-month multi-disciplinary healthy weight management program targeting urban, overweight adolescents" (International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, 2009). He also serves as graduate program director for the Ph.D. in Rehabilitation and Movement Science with a concentration in exercise physiology. Franco's contributions enhance understanding of exercise interventions for metabolic, cardiovascular, and oncologic conditions.