Rebecca Grandy, Pharm.D., is the recipient of the 2018 Excellence in Innovation Award from the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists for her work providing hepatitis C care in rural communities.
Grandy is an assistant professor of clinical education at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Asheville satellite campus and practices at the Mountain Area Health Education Center’s Family Health Center.
The award recognizes Grandy’s efforts to increase access to hepatitis C treatment in primary care centers.
The incidence of hepatitis C virus is on the rise due to the country’s opioid epidemic and rising rates of injection drug use, Grandy said — despite advances in treatment that make the virus more treatable.
“Accessibility of specialists to provide hepatitis C care is limited, especially in rural areas,” Grandy said. “To address this gap, we developed a treatment program for hepatitis C in our family medicine practices.”
Grandy said the programs have increased immediate access to care and provided valuable training to medical and pharmacy residents in the clinic.
Grandy’s research interests include medication access, rural health and underserved populations. She earned both her Pharm.D. and her B.S. in biology at UNC Chapel Hill. Grandy has worked as a pharmacist in the Asheville area since 2010 and joined the School faculty as an assistant professor of clinical education in 2014.
The NCAP Excellence in Innovation Award is presented annually to a pharmacist for innovative pharmacy practice resulting in improved patient care. Past winners from the School include Courtenay Wilson, Pharm.D., Stephen Eckel, Pharm.D., M.H.A., and Timothy Ives, Pharm.D., M.P.H.