Rebecca Grandy, Pharm.D., was named a Jim Bernstein Community Health Leadership Fellow 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 Bernstein Fellows Program identifies and develops future healthcare in rural and underserved communities in North Carolina. The two-year program, awarded by the Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation, supports the work of outstanding individuals working in rural communities through funding and mentorship opportunities.
As a Bernstein Fellow, Grandy is exploring the education and training of health care professionals and students on hepatitis C. Grandy’s award-winning work with hepatitis C in rural clinics is dedicated to developing an interprofessional training program to improve treatment and outcomes.
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.
“In rural areas, there are very few specialists that provide hepatitis C care,” she said. “The treatment program we are developing in our family medicine practices will help address this gap.”
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.
Jim Bernstein founded the Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation in 1982. The foundation is dedicated to developing and supporting innovative programs and partnerships to advance affordable and sustainable quality health services that improve the overall health of North Carolina communities.