Find a Health Care Professional / Researcher

David Neal Franz, MD

Title

Director, Tuberous Sclerosis Clinic, Associate Director of Clinical Affairs, Division of Neurology

Appointment

Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology

Email

franz@cchmc.org

Phone

513-636-4222

Fax

513-636-1888

Bio

David Neal Franz, MD, was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. He received his undergraduate degree in History and Literature from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana.

After completing his training he served as Assistant Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at Wright State University before returning to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

He established the Cincinnati Tuberous Sclerosis Clinic in 1993, to assist in the medical care of patients who have or are suspected of having tuberous sclerosis. The purpose of the clinic is not to replace care from the child's pediatrician or family physician, but to assist the primary care physician in dealing with those aspects unique to tuberous sclerosis that affect the child's health or development. The basis of the clinic is the realization that people with tuberous sclerosis are different from other individuals who have epilepsy, learning disabilities, behavior problems, etc.

For too long, the unique problems found in this disease have been lumped together with similar disorders, despite the fact that research has shown that disorders of the brain, heart, kidney, and other organs in tuberous sclerosis are quite different.

Credentials

MD: Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, 1985.

Residency: Pediatrics, Wright State University Affiliated Hospitals, Dayton, OH.

Fellowship: Neurology, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH.

Certification: Pediatrics, 1990; Neurology with special competence in child neurology, 1992.

Awards and Honors

Best Doctors in America, 2008
Awarded "2005 Best Doctors"
Awarded "2004 Best Doctors"

Research Grants and Contracts

Rapamycin therapy of renal angiomyolipomas in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex and sporadic lymphangioleiomyomatosis, TS Alliance, LAM Foundation, 2003, 2004.

Publications, Most Recent

Franz DN, Leonard J, Tudor C, Chuck G, Care M, Sethuraman G, Dinopoulos A, Thomas G, Crone KR: Rapamycin Causes Regression of Astrocytomas in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, Annals of Neurology 2006; 59:490-498.

Tinkle B, Schorry E, Franz D, Crone K, Saal H: Epidemiology of Hemimegalencepahly: A Case Series and Review.Am. Journal of Med. Genetics 139A:204-211 2005.

Collins J, Tudor C, Leonard J, Chuck G, Franz D: Levetiracetam as Adjunctive Antiepileptic Therapy for Patients with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex: A Retrospective Open-Label Trial.Journal of Child Neurology, In Press 2005.

Tang Y, Schapiro M, Franz DN, Patterson B, Hickey F, Schorry E, Hopkin R, Wylie M, Narayan T, Glauser T, Gilbert D, Hershey A, Sharp F: Blood Expression Profiles for Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 2, Neurofibromatosis Type 1, and Down's Syndrome.Ann Neurol Dec. 2004;56:808-814.

Franz DN: Non-Neurologic Manifestations of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex.Journal of Child Neurology, Vol 19 (9) Sept 2004.

Roberts PS, Dabora S, Thiele EA, Franz DN, Jozwiak S, Kwiatkowski DJ: Somatic mosaicism is rare in unaffected parents of patients with sporadic tuberous sclerosis.J Med Genet 2004 May; 41(5) E 69.

Pranzatelli MR, Travelstead BS, Tate, ED, Allison TJ, Moticka EJ, Franz DN, et al: B-and T-cell markers in opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome.Neurology May 2004 62 1526-1532.

McCormack F, Brody A, Meyer C, Leonard J, Chuck G, Dabora S, Sethuraman G, Colby TV, Kwiatkowski DJ, Franz DN: Pulmonary cysts consistent with lymphangioleiomyomatosis are common in women with tuberous sclerosis; genetic and radiographic analysis.Chest 2002 Mar; 12 (3 suppl) 61S.

Franz DN: Meningiomas in women with lymphangioleiomyomatosis.JAMA 2002 Mar 20; 287 (11) 1397-8.

Roberts P, Chung J, Jozwiak S, Dabora S, Franz DN, Thiele E, Kwiatkowski D: SNP identification, haplotype analysis, and parental origin of mutations in TSC2.HG, July 2002 111 (1) pp 96-101.

Dabora S, Roberts P, Nieto A, Perez R, Jozwiak S, Franz D, Bissler J, Thiele E, Sims K, Kwiatkowski D. Association between a High-Expressing Interferon-Allele and a Lower Frequency of Kidney Angiomyolipomas in TSC2 Patients.Am. Journal of Human Genetics, June 2002, 71.

Jones BV, Tomsick TA, Franz DN, GDC. Embolization of Giant Mid-Basilar Aneurysm in a 19 month old. AJNR, May 2002.

Adams BB, Vargus-Adams J, Franz DN, Kinnett DG. Hyperhidrosis in pediatric spinal cord injury: a case report and gabapentin therapy.J Am Acad. Dermatology, 2002, Mar: 46 (3) 444-6.

Franz DN, Glauser TA: Tuberous Sclerosis, eMedicine Journal, July 16, 2002 volume 3, number 7.

Walz NC, Byars AW, Egelhoff JC, Franz DN. Supratentorial Tuber Location and Autism in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex.J Child Neurolm, 2002; 17: 830-832.

Dabora SL, Jozwiak S, Franz DN, Roberts P, Nieto A, Chung J, Choy YW, Reeve MP, Thiele E, Egelhoff J, Kasprzyk J, Pakiela D, Kwiatkowski D. Mutational Analysis in a Cohort of 224 Tuberous Sclerosis Patients Indicates Increased Severity of TSC2, compared with TSC1, Disease in Multiple Organs.American Journal of Human Genetics, 68: 64-80, 2001.

Franz DN, Brody A, Meyer C, Leonard J, Chuck G, Dabora S, Sethuraman, Colby T, Kwiatkowski D, McCormack F. Mutational and Radiographic Analysis of Pulmonary Disease Consistent with Lymphangioleiomyomatosis and Micronodular Pneumocyte Hyperplasia in Women with Tuberous Sclerosis. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Vol 164, 1-8, 2001.

Franz, DN, Tudor C, Leonard J, Egelhoff J, Byars A, Valerius K, Sethuraman G. Lamotrigine Therapy of Epilepsy in Tuberous Sclerosis. Epilepsia, 42: 7, pp 1-6, 2001.

Dabora SL, Roberts PS, Nieto A, Chung J, Choy, YS, Reeve MP, Thiele E, Egelhoff J, Franz D, Kasprzyk-Obara DJ, Domanska-Pakiela D, Jozwiak S, Kwiatkowski D. Genotype / phenotype analysis in a cohort of 224 TSC patients indicates increased severity of TSC2 compared with TSC1 disease in multiple organs.Am. J. Hum. Gen., January 2001.

Franz DN, Brody A, Meyer C, Leonard J, Chuck G, Dabora S, Sethuraman G, McCormack FX. Pulmonary cystic and nodular changes consistent with LAM and MMPH are common in women with tuberous sclerosis.ATS, May 2001.

P Chung J, Jozwiak S, Dabora S, Nieto A, Perez R, Franz D, Thiele E, Kwiatkowski D. SNP identification, linkage dysequilibrium (LD) and maternal origin or mutations in TSC2.American Society of Human Genetics, June 2001.

Contributing author: Emblad P, Levin R, Zhao H, Plantz S, Adler J. Pediatric Pearls of Wisdom. Boston Medical Publishing Corp. 2001.

Professional Organization Memberships

Abstracts

Chung J, Jozwiak S, Dabora S, Nieto A, Perez R, Franz D, Thiele E, Kwiatkowski D. SNP identification, linkage dysequilibrium (LD) and maternal origin or mutations in TSC2. American Society of Human Genetics, June 2001.

Pranzatelli MR, Travelstead AL, Tate ED, Phillips P, Moticka EJ, Franz DN, Giordano AF, Lee D, Nigro M, Parke JT, Rubin CM, Sumpf DA, Verhulst SJ. B and T cell markers in pediatric opsoclonus-myoclonus-ataxia: Immunophenotyping of CSF and blood lymphocytes by flow cyrtometry. Child Neurology Society, 2002.