Dr Francis completed a PhD at SUNY Stony Brook in New York, followed by postdoctoral research in Neurobiology at Cornell University Medical School. He obtained an MD from the University of Buffalo, followed by a psychiatry residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
 
He was the co-developer of the Bush-Francis Catatonia Scale, the standard clinical and research tool to detect and quantify catatonic symptoms. He is a recognized authority on catatonia, Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome, ECT, and delirium. Dr Francis is  widely published in these areas and has presented at regional, national, and international medical conferences as well as serving as invited lecturer at many academic medical centers.
 
Currently he is Professor of Psychiatry, Associate Director of Residency Education, and Director of Neuromodulation Services at the Penn State School of Medicine at Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania.