Joshua McCray is a combination Master of Public Policy and Master of Public Health Candidate at the University of Virginia. Before starting graduate school, he worked as a clinical research coordinator and served as a student representative to the Virginia Rural Health Association Board of Directors. Joshua holds bachelor’s degrees in Biochemistry and History from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVA Wise). In addition, he was recently selected as a Tadler Fellow at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Driven by his passion for addressing public health disparities and improving rural resilience, he has completed research on drinking water contamination in rural Appalachia and worked with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to advertise, coordinate, and distribute COVID-19 vaccinations in Southwest Virginia. Joshua’s research interests lie in global rural health and healthcare insurance markets.