Christopher J Defrancesco

Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Department: Orthopaedic Surgery

Contact information

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Department of Orthopedics
4th Floor HUB
3500 Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Office: 215-590-1527
Fax: 215-590-1501

Education
B.S. (Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering with an Additional Major in Biomedical Engineering)
Carnegie Mellon University, 2011.
M.D. (Doctor of Medicine)
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 2018.

Post-Graduate Training
Benjamin Fox Research Fellow, Orthopaedic Surgery, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2016-2017.
Residency in Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, 2018-2023.
Fellowship in Pediatric Orthopaedics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2023-2024.
Fellowship in Sports Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, 2024-2025.

Permanent link

> Perelman School of Medicine > Faculty > Details

Description of Clinical Expertise

I have clinical expertise in open and arthroscopic surgery of the hip. I also specialize in pediatric trauma surgery and sports medicine surgery of joints other than the hip (i.e. knee and shoulder).

Description of Research Expertise

I have clinical interest in the intersection of technology and surgery, as well as in outcomes research related to hip and sports medicine surgeries.

Selected Publications

Christopher J. DeFrancesco, MD Wudbhav N. Sankar, MD: The Hip. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics 2027.

Christopher J. DeFrancesco, MD Benton Heyworth, MD: Clavicle Fractures. OTA Pediatric Fracturebook 2027.

Christopher J. DeFrancesco, MD Theodore J. Ganley, MD Mininder S. Kocher, MD, MPH: Sports Medicine in the Growing Child. Lovell and Winter's Pediatric Orthopaedics 2027.

Christopher J. DeFrancesco Miles Batty, MD Travis Matheney, MD Yi-Meng Yen, MD Thomas Wuerz, MD: Operating Room Setup and Patient Positioning. in the book "Operative Hip Arthroscopy" 2027.

DeFrancesco CJ.: CORR Insights®: Expert Performance on a Hip Wire Navigation Simulator Provides a Basis for Establishing Benchmarks to Define Skill Proficiency. Clin Orthop Relat Res 484: 1436-1438, Jul 2026.

Laungani D, Ullmann O, DeFrancesco CJ, Sarkar S, Talwar D, Sankar WN.: Nationwide Epidemiological and Demographic Evolution of Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease: A 10-Year Analysis. J Pediatr Soc North Am 16: 100394, May 2026.

Swanson ME, DeFrancesco C, Landrum KM, Kell D, Gandhi R, Sarkar S, Ganley TJ, Maguire KJ.: Differences in Graft Rupture and Subsequent Meniscal Tears Following Adolescent ACL Reconstruction Using Quadriceps Tendon Versus Hamstrings Autograft: A Retrospective Study With Minimum 2-Year Follow-up. Orthop J Sports Med 14: 23259671251414139, Mar 2026.

Liu E, Kang M, Bram JT, Olson AM, Reed J, DeFrancesco CJ.: Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction Using Autograft vs Allograft in Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Pediatr Soc North Am 15: 100362, Mar 2026.

Kuka CC, Hall CE, Bram JT, Sarkar S, DeFrancesco CJ, Sankar WN.: To Wean or Not to Wean: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Pavlik Harness Weaning in Infantile Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip. J Pediatr Orthop Feb 2026.

Bram JT, Jang SJ, Hall C, Kebeh M, Shareef O, DeFrancesco CJ, Laine JC, Sankar WN.: Determination of Modified Waldenström Staging in Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease Using Deep Learning. J Pediatr Soc North Am 15: 100334, Feb 2026.