George Francis, Ph.D.

Teaching

I am an instructor for the Gross Anatomy & Embryology course for medical students and in anatomy-based courses for physician assistant and physical therapy students. I have previously taught Gross Anatomy at High Point University to physician assistant students.

Research

My research investigates the environmental and genetic determinants of skeletal variation in primates. I seek to understand how family lineage, nutrition, climate, and natural disasters influence bone health and morphology. To answer this, I analyze markers of skeletal health, such as bone mineral density, pathology, and growth in a pedigreed primate population – the Cayo Santiago rhesus macaques. Some of the findings from this research will document the effects of major hurricane events on infectious disease and biological aging as well as the impacts of genetic diversity on congenital disease. The outcome of this research will act as a translational resource for similar experiences in human populations and as a blueprint for safeguarding the unique standing of the Cayo Santiago colony.

My current research focuses on quantifying the effects of craniofacial variation in Old World monkeys using 3D geometric morphometric techniques. The purpose of this research is to identify ecological drivers of morphology in extant primates in order to reconcile existing phylogenies, assess the importance of certain evolutionary processes, and aid functional interpretation of fossil material.

Selected Publications

George Francis, & Qian Wang. (2025). History of Health at Cayo Santiago – An investigation of Environmental and Genetic Influences on the skeletal remains of the introduced Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta) colony. American Journal of Primatology, 87(1): e23722. DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23722

George Francis, & Qian Wang. (2024). Pterion Variation: Inheritance, Growth, Development and Pathology. The Anatomical Record, 307(9):3139-3151. DOI: 10.1002/ar.25417

George Francis, & Qian Wang. (2023). Coming to the Caribbean – Acclimation of Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) at Cayo Santiago. American Journal of Biological Anthropology. 181(2):271-295.

Martin Q. Zhao, Ethan R. Widener, George Francis, Qian Wang. 2023. Building a Knowledge Model of Cayo Santiago Rhesus Macaques: Engaging Undergraduate Students in Developing Graphical User Interfaces for an NSF Funded Research Project. In: Daimi, K., Al Sadoon, A. (eds) Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Innovations in Computing Research (ICR’23). ICR 2023. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 721. Springer, Cham. p. 344-353. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-35308-6_29.

Guatelli-Steinberg, D., Guerrieri, T., Kensler, T. B., Maldonado, E., Francis, G., Kohn, L. A., Zhao M. Q., Turnquist, J.E., & Wang, Q. (2022). Male Cayo Santiago rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) tend to have greater molar wear than females at comparable ages: Exploring two possible reasons why. American Journal of Biological Anthropology. 178(3): 437-447