Faculty

Program Director

Rupal Jaffa, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, BCIDP

Specialty: Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship
Site: Carolinas Medical Center
Pharmacy School: University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency: University of Wisconsin Health
PGY2 Pharmacy Residency in Infectious Diseases: Atrium Health-Carolinas Medical Center
About Dr. Jaffa: Dr. Jaffa joined the Antimicrobial Support Network in 2017 as the first PGY-2 in Infectious Diseases at Carolinas Medical Center.  Upon completion of her residency, she remained with Atrium Health as an infectious diseases specialist. She currently serves as the Clinical Team Leader for the Central Division of ASN.  Her professional interests include medical and pharmacy experiential education, the treatment of multidrug resistant organisms, the management of infections in immunocompromised populations, and the optimization of antimicrobials in patients with antibiotic allergies.  She is a member of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP).

Infectious Diseases Preceptors 

Renee Ackley, PharmD, BCPS

Specialty: Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship, HIV
Site: Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy, Myers Park ID Clinic
Pharmacy School: University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy
PGY1 Residency: Cone Health-Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital
PGY2 Residency: Atrium Health-Carolinas Medical Center 
About Dr. Ackley: Dr. Ackley joined the Antimicrobial Support Network in July 2019 following the completion of her PGY2 ID residency at Carolinas Medical Center. Her professional interests include treatment of multidrug-resistant gram-negative pathogens, antimicrobial stewardship, HIV and opportunistic infections.

Liz Barnes, PharmD, CPP, BCACP, AAVHIVP

Specialty: HIV
Site: Atrium Health Infectious Disease Kenilworth
Pharmacy School: The University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy
About Dr. Barnes: Dr. Barnes joined Atrium Health in 2012 as an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist for Myers Park Pharmacy, working not only in the dispensing area but also helping to manage patient care within the asthma, HIV and anticoagulation clinics. She later became the pharmacy supervisor of this location before accepting a position as the clinical lead for the HIV service line within AH Specialty Pharmacy. Her professional interests include HIV and HCV.

Katie Lynn Hammer, PharmD, BCPS-AQ ID, BCIDP

Specialty: Infectious Diseases
Site: Atrium Health Pineville, Atrium Health Pineville Rehab, Atrium Health Cleveland, Atrium Health Union, Atrium Health Union West, Atrium Health Anson, Atrium Health Kings Mountain
Pharmacy School: Temple University School of Pharmacy (TUSP)
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency: Ohio State University Medical Center (OSUMC)
PGY2 Pharmacy Residency in Infectious Diseases: Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
About Dr. Hammer: Dr. Hammer is originally from South Jersey. She worked at Prisma Health as an ASN/Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Specialist for two years before joining Atrium Health in 2015 as the Infectious Diseases Clinical Team Leader for the South Division of the Atrium Health Antimicrobial Support Network. Her interests include multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), gram-negative bloodstream infections, fungal infections, immunocompromised hosts, clinical microbiology, and rapid diagnostics. She serves as a member of The Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP), Southeastern Research Group Endeavor (SERGE-45), and on the Planning Committee for Making a Difference in Infectious Diseases (MAD-ID).

Jamie Kimbrell, PharmD, CPP, AAHIVP

Specialty: HIV and Hepatitis C
Site: Atrium Health Infectious Disease Kenilworth
Pharmacy School: Wingate University School of Pharmacy
PGY1 Residency: Atrium Health Cabarrus - Ambulatory Care Focus
About Dr. Kimbrell: Dr. Kimbrell joined Atrium Health in 2017 as a resident. Upon completion of residency, she started working with the Atrium Health Specialty pharmacy as a clinical specialty pharmacist within the HIV and Hepatitis C service lines and sees patients at the outpatient ID clinic. Her professional interests include HIV, hepatitis C, and chronic medication management.  

Amanda Lefemine, PharmD, BCIDP

Specialty: Adult and Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship
Site: Carolinas Medical Center and Levine Children’s Hospital   
Pharmacy School: University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy
PGY1 Residency: Atrium Health – Carolinas Medical Center
PGY2 Residency in Infectious Diseases: Atrium Health – Carolinas Medical Center
About Dr. Lefemine: Dr. Lefemine joined the Antimicrobial Support Network in 2022 following the completion of her PGY2 training. Her professional interests include antimicrobial resistance, immunocompromised infectious diseases, and clinical microbiology. She is a member of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). 

Megan Shah PharmD, BCIDP

Specialty: Adult and Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship
Site: Carolinas Medical Center and Levine Children’s Hospital   
Pharmacy School: The University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy
PGY1 Residency: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
PGY2 Residency in Infectious Diseases: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
About Dr. Shah: Dr. Shah joined the Antimicrobial Support Network in 2022 after practicing as an Infectious Diseases Clinical Pharmacist at The University of Virginia Health System for four years. Her professional interests include antimicrobial resistance, rapid diagnostics, and transitions of care. She is a member of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP).

Stephanie Welch, PharmD, BCPS

Specialty: Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship, HIV
Site: Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy, Kenilworth ID Clinic
Pharmacy School: University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency: Carolinas Medical Center
PGY2 Pharmacy Residency in Infectious Diseases: Atrium Health-Carolinas Medical Center
About Dr. Welch: Dr. Welch joined the Antimicrobial Support Network in July 2020 following the completion of her residency training. Her professional interests include gram-positive bloodstream infections, antimicrobial resistance, HIV, and academia/experiential education.

Julie Williamson, PharmD, BCPS

Specialty: Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship
Site: Carolinas Rehabilitation, Carolinas Rehabilitation-Mount Holly, Carolinas Rehabilitation-Northeast, Carolinas Rehabilitation-Pineville
Pharmacy School: University of Georgia College of Pharmacy
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency: Greenville Health System (now Prisma Health)
PGY2 Pharmacy Residency in Infectious Diseases: Cleveland Clinic
About Dr. Williamson: Dr. Williamson joined Atrium Health in 2008 as a Clinical Pharmacy Team Leader in Infectious Diseases at Carolinas Medical Center, immediately following completion of residency training. From 2013 – 2015, Dr. Williamson practiced in Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship at Montefiore Medical Center and Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY before returning to Atrium Health’s Division of Quality to develop an antimicrobial stewardship collaborative across Atrium’s regional hospital network. She joined the Antimicrobial Support Network in 2019 and serves as the Clinical Team Leader for Acute Rehabilitation and System Integration. Her research interests include development of novel metrics for antimicrobial stewardship and antimicrobial utilization, reduction in the treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria, development of stewardship across the continuum of care, the use of rapid diagnostics in antimicrobial stewardship, and treatment of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bloodstream infections.

Other Faculty Preceptors

Justin Arnall, PharmD, BCOP, CPP

Specialty: Adult Hematology/Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplant
Pharmacy School: UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
PGY1 Residency: Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
PGY2 Residency in Hematology/Oncology: Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
About Dr. Arnall: Dr. Arnall joined the CMC team in August 2016. His professional interests include multiple myeloma, bone marrow transplantation, pharmacogenomics in oncology practice, benign hematology, and antimicrobial stewardship in neutropenic/immunocompromised cancer patients. He is an active member in HOPA, ACCP, ASHP and APhA, as well as an involved advocate for oral oncolytic parity legislation and pharmacy practice advancement.

Kevin Cooper, PharmD

Specialty: Solid Organ Transplant
Site: Carolinas Medical Center-Transplant Division
Pharmacy School: The University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy
About Dr. Cooper: Dr. Cooper has been at CMC since 1998 and with the Transplant Center since 2003. He treats solid organ transplant patients, including liver, kidney, kidney/pancreas and heart transplant recipients. The transplant pharmacists also provide care to outpatient transplant patients.

Gail Gesin, PharmD, FCCM

Specialty: Trauma Critical Care
Site: Carolinas Medical Center
Pharmacy School: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences
PGY1 and PGY2 Pharmacy Residencies in Critical Care: Medical University of South Carolina
About Dr. Gesin: Dr. Gesin joined CMC in 2008 and has interests in ICU sedation and delirium. She is an active member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and currently serves on the SCCM Drug Shortages Task Force.

Bennett Noell, PharmD, BCPS

Specialty: Solid Organ Transplant
Site: Carolinas Medical Center - Transplant Division
Pharmacy School:The University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency: Houston Methodist Hospital
PGY2 Pharmacy Residency in Solid Organ Transplant: University of Maryland Medical Center
About Dr. Noell: Dr. Noell joined CMC in August 2013. His clinical interests include transplant infectious diseases, antibody mediated rejection, and post-transplant hepatitis C management.

Erin Roach, PharmD, BCPS

Specialty: Surgical Critical Care
Pharmacy School: The University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency: Virginia Commonwealth University Health System
PGY2 Critical Care Residency: Virginia Commonwealth University Health System
Previous position: Medical ICU Clinical Specialist, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Ohio
Interests: Hemodynamics in critically ill patients, ICU sedation in patients with a history of substance abuse.

Alexandra Wolff, PharmD, BCOP

Specialty: Adult Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplant
Site: Levine Cancer Institute
Pharmacy School: West Virginia University School of Pharmacy
PGY1 Residency: West Virginia University Medicine
PGY2 Residency in Hematology/Oncology: West Virginia University Cancer Institute and West Virginia University School of Pharmacy
About Dr. Wolff: Dr. Wolff joined LCI in February 2017 after 4 years with the WVU Cancer Institute as the outpatient BMT specialist and director of Stem Cell Collections. Her professional interests include lymphoma and myeloma, supportive care, leadership and professional development, and oncology pharmacy organization involvement and development.