Chapel Hill, N.C. — The North Carolina Center on the Workforce for Health (the Center) is proud to welcome two accomplished professionals to its growing team. Trish Farnham has joined as the organization’s first Caregiving Workforce Analyst, and Emily B. McCartha has been named the Center’s first Senior Policy Analyst, effective May 27. These important additions to the Center’s staff mark a continued investment in its mission to strengthen the state’s health workforce.

“Trish and Emily have a wealth of expertise and a deep understanding of health workforce challenges,” said Andy MacCracken, director of the Center. “We’ve been lucky to collaborate with both Trish and Emily on key Center initiatives over the past year, and their insights and dedication will be instrumental as we expand our efforts to build a robust health workforce in the state.”

Trish Farnham – Caregiving Workforce Analyst

Farnham brings decades of experience and a deep commitment to improving support for the health workforce, particularly direct care workers. She most recently served as Program Coordinator for the North Carolina Coalition on Aging’s Direct Care initiative, where she led collaborative efforts with advocates, service providers, trade associations, and clients to improve conditions and opportunities for the state’s caregiving workforce.

“My commitment to supporting NC’s direct care /direct support workforce is deeply personal and an integral part of my life’s work,” said Farnham. “I’m honored to continue it at the Center.”

At the Center, she will be responsible for supporting implementation of the recommendations made by the Caregiving Workforce Strategic Leadership Council and building alignment of those efforts with related state reports.

“Trish was indispensable in our efforts to launch and facilitate a series of workshops to advance elements of the Caregiving Workforce Strategic Leadership Council recommendations. The success of that series would have been impossible without Trish’s insights, dedication, and collaborative spirit,” MacCracken said.

Farnham has spent more than 30 years working in aging and disability communities in North Carolina, Georgia, and New Mexico, in both the public and private sectors, including an eleven-year tenure at the NC Division of Health Benefits. Her lived experience as the executive director of an in-home support organization, a direct care worker and family caregiver informs her approach to policy. Farnham holds a law degree and Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University and degrees in Geography and American Studies from Miami University.

Emily B. McCartha, PhD – Senior Policy Analyst

A seasoned policy and research analyst, McCartha has over a decade of experience in health workforce research, public education policy, and organizational evaluation. She joins the Center from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she spent four years conducting state and national studies on healthcare workforce trends.

Last year, McCartha led data collection and analysis for the NC Health Talent Alliance (HTA), which included data from more than 1,000 healthcare facilities and 80 health education institutions. Her work provided critical insights into North Carolina’s health talent pipeline and workforce development needs.

“Emily has a unique ability to both conduct rigorous analysis and apply insights for practical implementation among a wide range of stakeholders,” said MacCracken. “Her work supporting the Health Talent Alliance in her role at Sheps was exceptional, and we’re thrilled to have her as a full-time member of the Center team.”

In her new role at the Center, McCartha will coordinate policy and research efforts among partner organizations and ensure timely information is available to drive effective workforce planning across Center programs. 

“Data can be a powerful tool for driving change, and I look forward to using it to help inform policies and partnerships that support the people and systems at the heart of care,” she said.

Prior to joining Sheps, McCartha served as a Senior Program Evaluator for the North Carolina General Assembly, where she led non-partisan evaluations of state programs in public health, education, and agency operations. She also teaches as an adjunct instructor in the Master of Public Administration program at the UNC School of Government.

McCartha holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration from North Carolina State University, with a research focus on cross-sector collaboration—an approach that aligns directly with the Center’s mission. She also earned a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School at the University of Texas and a B.A. in Urban Studies from UT Austin.

About the NC Center on the Workforce for Health
The NC Center on the Workforce for Health launched in 2022 to provide a forum for health employers, workers, educators, policymakers, and other key stakeholders across the state to address critical workforce challenges, share best practices, and identify solutions. This statewide forum builds on a partnership between NC AHEC, NC Institute of Medicine, and the Sheps Center Program on Health Workforce Research and Policy, to provide coordinated, persistent action and track progress with measurable outcomes. For more information, visit workforceforhealth.org.