Emily DeFranco, DO, MS became the Chair of the Department of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Kentucky January 2024. She completed her OB/GYN residency training at the University of Kentucky and fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Thereafter, she received a master’s degree in clinical and translational research from the University of Cincinnati. She has been in academic practice since completing her training and is currently the John W. Greene, M.D. Endowed Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Kentucky. She is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal Fetal Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Dr. DeFranco is a productive clinician scientist conducting clinical research at the University of Kentucky.  Her primary research interest is preterm birth, focusing on both clinical trials for prematurity prevention and epidemiologic studies evaluating genetic and environmental influences on preterm delivery.  She has published over 150 peer-reviewed scientific studies and has given over 200 scientific presentations at national and international scientific meetings. She is a patent holder from her sentinel work on progesterone for the prevention of spontaneous preterm birth. Her additional research endeavors include stillbirth, infant mortality, birth spacing, and social determinants of health. She enjoys mentoring undergraduate students, medical students, and physicians in training in their acquisition of knowledge of hypothesis generation, study design, and application of clinical research.