Francesca is a principal at Grosso McCarthy, a health policy, strategy, and communications firm. She has been a health care strategist and thought leader for over 20 years, first serving as the executive director at the Institute of International Research where she created accredited health system forums for international health leadership, VP of health care at Environics Research Group and later served as director of policy to an Ontario minister of health. Francesca helped establish three federal agencies, the Health Council of Canada, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and the Mental Health Commission.

Her volunteer work has included vice chair of the board of Walrus Magazine, former chair of the board of Patients Canada, a not-for-profit, charitable group that brings the patient voice to public policy, and a policy reviewer for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research innovations projects. Francesca is a caregiver and a patient navigator.
In 2016, Francesca was appointed co-chair of the PC Party’s Health Policy Advisory Committee (PAC). She presided over the development of the health policy platform for the 2018 election, then titled “The People’s Guarantee”. Many aspects of this work have been integrated into the Ontario government’s health care strategy.

Along with numerous policy papers, Francesca has co-authored the Canadian bestseller with Michael Decter, Navigating Canada’s Health Care System, a user guide for Canadians and authored The History of Sunnybrook Hospital: Battle to Greatness, published by Dundurn Press, November 2014. She was part of the Osprey media group and has contributed many opinion editorials to the Toronto Star, National Post and Globe and Mail.

Currently, Francesca is on the board of Health Sciences North, an academic teaching hospital in Sudbury Ontario as well as the chair of its Quality Committee.
Francesca is a regular commentator on health issues for radio. television and print media.