13 Questions with Ron Franzino, MD

It kinda makes sense that a surgeon would also be someone that loves to fix and build things around the house, right? But what about being into Harleys, Corvettes, a 1936 Ford pickup and going from zero to 160 miles per hour in eight seconds (and he wants to go faster still)?

Well, Dr. Ron Franzino, who moved to Putnam more than 25 years ago and now lives in a 300-year-old-home full of antiques he’s mostly collected in downtown shops over the years, is one such surgeon. 

Through his residency with Waterbury Hospital and Yale-New Haven University he studied in a trauma center in New York City, a pediatrics unit in Washington, and plastic surgery and cardiothoracic surgery in New Haven. During his residency he also spent a few months at Windham Hospital, which was how he first came to know about the “Quiet Corner.” 

Once his residency was completed he made his way back to Connecticut to join the local general surgery practice and the medical staff at Day Kimball Hospital. There, he started to explore laparoscopic surgical techniques and was soon assisting a biomedical company in designing the technology and teaching the technique to other surgeons. 

In fact, Franzino was one of the first in Connecticut to perform laparoscopic gallbladder surgery. In the 27 years he’s been practicing, he has conducted thousands of surgical procedures at Day Kimball Hospital, in addition to in-office procedures.

 

Franzino will tell you it was six months before he discovered there was a downtown Putnam, which back then wasn’t the vibrant community and budding business district it is today. 

Regardless, he fell in love with the area. Which is good, because he met his wife Marie in the gun store in Putnam and together they have raised two children, Kevin (in biomedical engineering) and Nina Beth (a Spanish teacher). 

Today, they are caring for many four-legged beings (including sheepdog Zina, pictured left) on their 11-acre property.

Read on to learn more interesting facts about Dr. Ron; there are more surprises to discover.

 

1. I grew up in:
   Monroe, Connecticut
2. Who’s on your playlist?
   BB King, Jimi Hendrix, JS Bach, Vivaldi
3. What’s your favorite movie?
   Young Frankenstein
4. What’s your favorite color?
   Red
5. What was the last thing you read?
   Washington Post and Medscape, daily. How Not To Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg
6. Who is your hero?
   Herman Austrian, MD who was my family doctor during childhood. He’s the smartest man I knew growing up. Also, my cousin, Dr. Eduardo Rios, who inspired me to become a surgeon. 
7. Pets or no pets?
   Sheepdog Zina; cats Maybelline, Jem and Psycho Tony, and horses Ninga, Weringa and Lacey.
8. On your bucket list is:
   Visiting the western United States by RV, plus going from zero to 200 miles per hour in 6 seconds (not at the same time).
9. What’s your “go-to” comfort food?
   Pasta. My mother is Colombian but learned to cook Italian for my dad.
10. Smartphone, tablet or desktop?
    Yes.
11. People would be surprised to know that I:
    have been drag racing for 6 years.
12. What’s your current health focus?
    Weight loss and brain games.
13. What’s your favorite place in Northeast Connecticut?
    Downtown Putnam with its restaurants, antiques and the river walk, although my wife would say Aubuchon’s Hardware Store.

Read more about Dr. Franzino >

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