STAFF

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 board-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.

Katrina Nesmith joined us in November 2019 as our Community Services Director. She has a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from South Carolina State University, a Master in Social Work from Clark Atlanta University, and a Master in Healthcare Management from Colorado Technical University. She has worked in various areas of social work over the past years. Katrina brings experience in Public Health, Alcohol and other Drugs, School Social Work, Home Health, and Community Alternatives Program for Children and Disabled Adults (CAP/C/DA).

Sheri is a Board-Certified Geriatric Pharmacist and a graduate of the Doctor of Pharmacy program at UNC-Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy (2017). She has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis where she participated in research sponsored in part by NIH’s Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) training program. While she appreciates the complexities of biomedical science, she thrives in roles where she can use her knowledge to directly improve the lives of the people around her.  Driven by the vision of a world with fewer health disparities, she takes pride in assisting participants in optimizing their health, providing Medicare insurance counseling, and sharing information about Senior PharmAssist at community events around Durham.

Nathalie earned a B.A. from Middlebury College and teaching certification from Wesleyan University. She has worked in several industries prior to joining Senior PharmAssist, first as a volunteer and then as an employee. Nathalie is an ardent advocate for seniors, and an enthusiastic supporter of SPA’s mission to help older adults live their best lives.

Gina Upchurch is the founding Executive Director of Senior PharmAssist. She was born in Durham and was raised in Reidsville, NC. Gina received her pharmacy and public health degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill, where she currently holds adjunct appointments after completing her pharmacy residency in geriatrics. In Durham, she serves on the Board of Directors for Project Access of Durham County and Aging Well Durham, and she is a past co-chair of the Partnership for a Healthy Durham. Outside of local coalition-building, Gina is co-chair of the Long-Term Care Services and Support and Medicare working group for the North Carolina comprehensive aging plan: All Ages, All Stages. At the national level, Gina serves on the Public Policy Committee of the American Geriatrics Society and the Providers & Advocates Advisory Panel for NEXT STEPs that supports practical research in nursing homes. In 2023, Gina was appointed to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), a non-partisan group that advises the U.S. Congress on Medicare policy. She was a science teacher as a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana and goes back regularly.

Jessica earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2001 and then completed a one-year specialty residency in geriatrics at the UNC Geriatric Evaluation Clinic. She stayed on as a clinical pharmacist until January 2005 and then joined our staff in February 2005. She is a board-certified geriatric pharmacist and works 24 hours per week.