{"id":8746,"date":"2026-04-14T11:29:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:29:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/?p=8746"},"modified":"2026-04-15T11:08:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T15:08:55","slug":"behind-every-provider-a-partner-in-care-meet-mackenzie-cranford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/2026\/04\/behind-every-provider-a-partner-in-care-meet-mackenzie-cranford\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind Every Provider, a Partner in Care: Meet Mackenzie Cranford"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"YoungIf you\u2019ve ever joined the Department of Radiology as a faculty member or APP and found your onboarding process smoother than expected, chances are Mackenzie Cranford had something to do with it.<\/p>\n

As a credentialing coordinator, Mackenzie works behind the scenes to ensure that every clinician is fully vetted, approved, and ready to care for patients from day one. It\u2019s a role that rarely makes headlines\u2014but its impact is felt in every clinic, reading room, and procedure suite.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I don\u2019t help patients directly,\u201d she says, \u201cI help people who help people.\u201d<\/p>\n

That perspective drives everything she does.<\/p>\n

The Gatekeeper of Readiness<\/h3>\n

Credentialing is more than paperwork\u2014it\u2019s a critical safeguard in patient care. Mackenzie helps guide providers through a two-step process: verifying their background, training, and licensure, and then working with the Medical Staff Office to ensure they are granted the precise privileges needed for their clinical work.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t stop there. Every two years, those same providers return for recredentialing\u2014a process that ensures their roles and responsibilities remain aligned with what they actually practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about keeping things accurate and safe,\u201d she explains. \u201cWe want to make sure everyone is practicing exactly within their scope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mackenzie\u2019s reach extends beyond Radiology. She supports multiple departments\u2014including anesthesiology, otolaryngology, and OB\/GYN\u2014as part of a small but mighty team responsible for credentialing across the entire School of Medicine.<\/p>\n

\"FemaleFinding Purpose Off the Front Lines<\/h3>\n

Mackenzie\u2019s path to credentialing wasn\u2019t linear. A graduate of UNC with a degree in psychology and a minor in biology, she began her career as an EMT, drawn to the immediacy and hands-on nature of patient care.<\/p>\n

But as she reevaluated her long-term goals\u2014and as the uncertainty of COVID-19 set in\u2014she began looking for a role that offered both stability and a continued connection to healthcare.<\/p>\n

She found exactly that at UNC.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know much about credentialing at first,\u201d she admits. \u201cBut I loved the team, and I was excited to learn. It ended up being the perfect fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her EMT roots still matter deeply to her. She keeps her certification active, using it to volunteer and support her community in times of need\u2014like responding to crises across North Carolina.<\/p>\n

A Critical Role in Critical Moments<\/h3>\n

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mackenzie\u2019s work took on new urgency. As hospitals faced overwhelming patient volumes, credentialing teams worked quickly to grant emergency privileges to incoming physicians.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had to get doctors here fast,\u201d she recalls. \u201cBeing part of that process\u2014knowing it directly impacted patient care\u2014was incredibly meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a powerful reminder that even roles outside of direct clinical care are essential to the system as a whole.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Coach, Advocate, Role Model<\/h3>\n

When she logs off for the day, Mackenzie shifts into another role: coach.<\/p>\n

For the past several years, she has dedicated her time to coaching youth basketball and softball for elementary-aged girls in her community. What began as a small team of ten has grown into a thriving program of more than 30 players across multiple age groups.<\/p>\n

Her passion goes beyond the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cGirls\u2019 sports can be overlooked,\u201d she says. \u201cI want to help change that\u2014to give these girls opportunities, confidence, and a space to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a commitment that reflects her belief in building others up, whether they\u2019re clinicians navigating credentialing or young athletes learning teamwork and resilience.<\/p>\n

The Person Behind the Email<\/h3>\n

As a fully remote team member, Mackenzie knows that many colleagues may only know her through email threads. But she hopes people see her as more than a name in their inbox.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here to help,\u201d she says. \u201cEven if it\u2019s not technically my area, I\u2019m always willing to figure things out.\u201d<\/p>\n

She prefers real conversations\u2014phone or face-to-face whenever possible\u2014and brings a direct, thoughtful communication style to everything she does.<\/p>\n

\"WhiteLife, Laughter, and Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n

Describing herself as \u201cbubbly,\u201d Mackenzie brings energy and humor to both her work and her life. She\u2019s a self-proclaimed \u201clife of the party,\u201d someone who values connection, doesn\u2019t take things too seriously, and knows how to have fun.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a mindset that has carried her from a small-town upbringing in Davidson County to a role that quietly supports thousands of patient encounters across UNC Health.<\/p>\n

And while she may not be in the exam room, her impact is unmistakable\u2014ensuring that every provider who is, is ready, qualified, and empowered to deliver exceptional care<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever joined the Department of Radiology as a faculty member or APP and found your onboarding process smoother than expected, chances are Mackenzie Cranford had something to do with it. As a credentialing coordinator, Mackenzie works behind the scenes to ensure that every clinician is fully vetted, approved, and ready to care for … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83776,"featured_media":8753,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","odd"],"acf":[],"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2026\/04\/IMG_8832-scaled.jpeg","featured_image_medium":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2026\/04\/IMG_8832-225x300.jpeg","featured_image_medium_large":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2026\/04\/IMG_8832-768x1024.jpeg","featured_image_large":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2026\/04\/IMG_8832-768x1024.jpeg","featured_image_thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2026\/04\/IMG_8832-150x150.jpeg","featured_image_alt":"Female in jeans and a black coat smiling at the camera with the \"Cloud Gate,\" a large, highly-polished, mirrored bean-shaped sculpture in Chicago.","category_details":[{"name":"Uncategorized","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/category\/uncategorized\/"}],"tag_details":[],"_links_to":[],"_links_to_target":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83776"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8746"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8754,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8746\/revisions\/8754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}