Staff
Gina Upchurch, RPh, MPH, Founder & Executive Director
Gina was born in Durham and raised in Reidsville, N.C. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and her Master’s degree in Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill. She also completed a residency in geriatric pharmacy practice at UNC-CH. She remains as adjunct faculty with both schools, in the Division of Pharmacy Practice and Experiential Education, and the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, respectively. Between degrees, she served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer teaching science in Botswana.
As part of her MPH program, Gina needed a summer project in 1992 and was hired by the Durham County Hospital Corporation to conduct a needs assessment for a “free pharmacy” for seniors. She interviewed social service providers, healthcare providers and caregivers, and conducted focus groups and one-on-one interviews with seniors. Two issues emerged from her research:
- Many people were struggling to pay for their medicines and needed help.
- And, equally concerning, individuals were sometimes getting medicines they didn’t need, which could be causing harm.
Gina used information from the project as the basis for her Master’s paper and performed a statewide policy analysis of the different methods then being employed to help people who could not afford their prescription medications. This informed her own blueprint for how to best deliver such services, and an abbreviated version of her paper was published in the North Carolina Medical Journal in May 1994. A month later – with the aid of a three-year grant from the Duke Endowment and support from other foundations – Senior PharmAssist opened its doors to the Durham community.
In 2001, Gina was named a Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leader and the following year received the Bowl of Hygeia Award for Community Service. In 2005, she earned the Eunice Tyler Award for Excellence in Public Health Education from the UNC-CH School of Public Health, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, and in 2006 won the Don Blanton Award for Outstanding Contributions to Pharmacy from the NC Association of Pharmacists and the Elna B. Spaulding Founder's Award for making a significant difference in the Durham community. In 2008, Gina received the Power of Prevention Award from the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission for her advocacy and public policy efforts, and in 2009 earned the Jim Long Outstanding SHIIP Service Award from the Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program and the AARP North Carolina Advocacy Award.
Currently, she serves on the NC Institute of Medicine's "New Models of Care" workgroup, which is looking at how to integrate national healthcare reform in North Carolina. In Durham, Gina serves on the Executive Committee of Project Access of Durham County and is a member of the Access to Healthcare Committee of the Partnership for a Healthy Durham. Senior PharmAssist is also lead agency of the Durham Medicare Rx Network, which increases knowledge among service providers about Medicare-approved drug benefits.
Rodney Murphy, MPA, Associate Director
Rodney is the newest member of Senior PharmAssist, hired in August of 2011 to respond to the expansion of our Medicare counseling needs and growing participant base. Rodney has a Master's degree in public administration with a focus on healthcare administration from the University of San Francisco. He brings extensive direct service and management experience, having worked with populations as diverse as disabled adults, homeless families and homebound seniors. At Senior PharmAssist, he supervises the day-to-day operations, including SHIIP services, and helps to strengthen our community outreach efforts.
Joe Daly, Development & Communications Director
Joe joined the Senior PharmAssist staff in October 2000. He graduated from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and had previously worked in the Development Office at Peace College in Raleigh. Joe is principally responsible for coordinating and implementing our fundraising efforts; however, since it’s a “small shop,” he gets to do a little bit of everything. He even sees participants from time to time – but only to take their pictures for the newsletter!
Ida Daniels, Administrative Assistant
Next to our Executive Director, Ida is our longest-serving staff member. She joined us as a part-time Receptionist in 1999, through the auspices of the Senior Aides Program. When that program could no longer fund Ida’s position with Senior PharmAssist, we officially hired her to serve as part-time Administrative Assistant. Ida is a lifetime Durham resident, and her connections to the community, warm familiarity with our participants and professional skills help keep the office running smoothly.
Marilyn Disco, PharmD, CGP, Clinical Services Director
Marilyn graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and completed two post-graduate residencies before working for two years as a Clinical Pharmacist at a community health center. She is a Certified Geriatric Pharmacist and joined the Senior PharmAssist staff in May 2003. As Clinical Services Director, she coordinates the pharmaceutical care services provided by our program, ensuring that the participants, caregivers and healthcare providers we work with are well-served.
Casey Kaufman, MPH, Community Resource Coordinator
Casey was hired in January 2004 and screens individuals for eligibility for various sources of medication assistance. He also screens participants for other needs – making tailored referrals when appropriate – and helps Durham residents resolve issues with their medication coverage if problems arise. Casey earned his Bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University with a major in Health Promotion and a minor in Exercise Science. He later obtained a Master’s in Public Health from the University of South Carolina, along with a Certificate degree in Gerontology.
Dyana Morgan, MA, Community Services Director
Dyana is the newest member of Senior PharmAssist’s staff, having joined us in October 2007. She holds a Master's degree in Gerontology and previously managed a pilot project focused on improving medication management in the assisted living environment. Dyana oversees our information and referral services, assists with community outreach and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of our clinic.
Jessica Visco, PharmD, CGP, Clinical Pharmacist
Jessica earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2001. She then completed a one-year specialty residency in Geriatrics at the Geriatric Evaluation Clinic at UNC, where she stayed on as the Clinical Pharmacist until January 2005. Jessica joined our staff in February of that year and is also a Certified Geriatric Pharmacist. She works 20 hours per week.
Our paid staff is supported by a wonderful group of office volunteers who assist with a range of projects and daily tasks. Their in-kind help enables us to save thousands of dollars per year and get a lot more work done! We greatly appreciate their extra hands and welcoming, helpful manner with participants – both on the phone and in person. Those volunteers are: Linda Autry; Bill Boyarsky; B.J. Boyarsky; Dorothy Cameron; Carolyn Coolidge; Dan Dewitya; David Farrell; Ellie Minshall; Ann Carole Moylan; Lisa Powell; Sandy Powers; Winston Roberts; Kelly Scolaro; Virginia Spranger; and Al Stone. Ann Carole and Lisa are both long-time volunteers with Senior PharmAssist, and you can learn more about their experience with us by clicking here.