About

Frances Collichio is a Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She completed her fellowship training in 1990 at the University of Rochester. Over time she has specialized in several different types of cancer but since 2003 her focus has been on complex skin cancers. Up until 2020, this was primarily in melanoma but since 2020, she is seeing more and more patients with complex squamous cell skin cancers. She was part of the research team that did the work on the first FDA approved viral treatment for cancer called Talimogene Laheparepvec, or TVEC for short. This treatment is the main treatment for some forms of melanoma. UNC is the number one center for treatment with TVEC east of the Mississippi River.

Dr Collichio made medical education her life-long mission. She feels it imperative to teach the next generation of doctors the skills and knowledge that they need to excel in the field. She was part of the group that wrote the first “in training” examination for trainees in oncology throughout the USA and Canada. In 2018, she was part of a small committee that wrote the “Milestones” that assess the ability of trainees across a spectrum of activities that are needed to be experts in hematology and oncology. It is used by all training programs in the USA.

Outside of her work, Dr Collichio is proud to have a wonderful family including her husband Bob, their children Dominic and Nicole, daughter in law, Fiona, son in law, Josh, and her grandchildren. She enjoys riding a bicycle, running, and doing artwork.