Dr. Robert Bashford, a longtime professor with the UNC School of Medicine, has died at age 74.

“As we begin this New Year, we are sad to report a tremendous loss for our UNC School of Medicine community,” wrote Drs. Wesley Burks and Cristy Page in a release. “Dr. Robert Bashford, a beloved teacher and mentor to so many, has passed away.

“Dr. Bashford’s impact on our School and our state is difficult to quantify. He served as Associate Dean for Admissions for many years, presiding over the admission of nearly 1,500 students dedicated – as he put it—to ‘the genuine journey for a life of science and service.'”

In 2013, Dr. Bashford was instrumental in the development of the Kenan Rural Scholars program, which focused on building a pipeline of physicians committed to service in North Carolina’s under-served areas.

Earlier this year, Dr. Bashford spoke with 97.9 The Hill and explained his passion for serving the state of North Carolina.

“I love this state,” said Dr. Bashford. “I’ve learned that we’ve got massive pockets of no service to poor service in the healthcare world in this state.”

The mission for Dr. Bashford was to put doctors in rural spaces in North Carolina.

“We’ve got counties that have literally no doctors. We’ve got counties that have no surgeons. I’m a psychiatrist. The mental health system is broken into smithereens in this state.”

For Dr. Bashford, getting in front of young people before they go to college was key to completing the rural healthcare puzzle.

“There’s an equally important piece, which is pipelining,” he said. “That is going backwards and getting in front of these young people in high school and junior high school and talking with them about things they had never even dreamt, which is the concept of being an occupational therapist, a pulmonary therapist, nurse, a social worker.”

In their message, Burks and Page remembered Bashford’s impact beyond the borders of Chapel Hill.

“He will be remembered for the genuine joy, optimism and enthusiasm he brought to his work, feelings you couldn’t help but share after just a few minutes around him.

“While he will be deeply missed, his impact will continue to be felt as the students he recruited, trained, and mentored care for people all across North Carolina.”

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