Have you ever listened intently at a medical appointment just to leave with only a vague idea of what is going on with your health, let alone what you should do about it? In fact, studies suggest that as many as 9 out of 10 patients have trouble understanding medical information at some point in their lives. On this episode of MedBoard Matters we are discussing health literacy and how a lack of it adversely affects virtually all patients. 

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Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley, Communications Director, North Carolina Medical Board
Guest: Sharona Y. Johnson, PhD, FNP-BC, North Carolina Medical Board Member
Producer: Sylvia French-Hodges, Communications Specialist, North Carolina Medical Board

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On this episode of the Remembering Hurricane Helene series, we meet PA Joshua Newton, who owns his own primary care practice in Spruce Pine, NC. Post-Helene, it took three days just to cut out to the end of his street. After he saw the devastation in his community, he did what made the most sense to him at the time. With patients unable to get to him, he hopped on a four-wheeler and rode out to find them.

Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley, Communications Director, North Carolina Medical Board
Guest: Joshua Newton, PA-C, The Clinic of Joshua Newton, PA-C
Producer: Sylvia French-Hodges, Communications Specialist, North Carolina Medical Board

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Email your questions to: [email protected].

On this episode of the Remembering Hurricane Helene series, we interview Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, Rural Fellowship Director and Director of Rural Health Initiatives for the Mountain Area Health Education Center in Asheville. Dr. Gilmer put his extensive global experience in serving under resourced patient populations to good use and was busy practicing out of a donated bus in a church parking lot in Swannanoa in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley, Communications Director, North Carolina Medical Board
Guest: Benjamin Gilmer, MD, Rural Fellowship Director, MAHEC Family Medicine
Faculty Physician and Director of Rural Health Initiatives
Producer: Sylvia French-Hodges, Communications Specialist, North Carolina Medical Board

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Email your questions to: [email protected].

As we approach the one-year mark since Hurricane Helene, we reflect on the experiences shared by healthcare professionals who faced its impact firsthand. In this episode, we interview Dr. Julia Draper, a dedicated family medicine physician in the Asheville area. Dr. Draper vividly recounts her harrowing encounter with the storm while beginning her 7-day work rotation at Mission Hospital. Her firsthand narrative offers a profound insight into the challenges and resilience displayed during such trying times.

Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley, Communications Director, North Carolina Medical Board
Guest: Julia Draper, MD, MPH, Family Physician at MAHEC Family Health Center at Enka/Candler
Producer: Sylvia French-Hodges, Communications Specialist, North Carolina Medical Board

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Email your questions to: [email protected].

The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) was signed into law in July of 2025 as part of North Carolina (NC) Session Law 2025-37/HB 67. By joining the IMLC, there will now be an additional pathway for licensure in North Carolina as well as a pathway for our licensees to obtain licenses in other compact member states.  

In this episode, we talk with Marschall Smith, Executive Director of the IMLC Commission about the compact and what it means for licensees and for patients in and out of North Carolina. 

Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley, Communications Director, North Carolina Medical Board
Guest: Marschall Smith, Executive Director of the IMLC Commission
Producer: Sylvia French-Hodges, Communications Specialist, North Carolina Medical Board

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Email your questions to: [email protected].

Reflecting on Hurricane Helene, the deadliest and costliest hurricane in North Carolina's history, recovery efforts are expected to span years. Amid the devastation, stories of resilience shine through. Karen Wallace-Meigs, Executive Director of the Western Carolina Medical Society, recounts their organization's impactful response. Through a robust philanthropic mission and diverse service programs, patients in need received vital support, including access to free medical and specialty care, along with language interpretation services post-storm and into the future.

Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley, Communications Director, North Carolina Medical Board
Guest: Karen Wallace-Meigs, Executive Director of the Western Carolina Medical Society
Producer: Sylvia French-Hodges, Communications Specialist, North Carolina Medical Board

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The North Carolina Medical Board is committed to providing our licensees with tools that will help them be successful in their practice (and hopefully avoid any regulatory issues). In this episode, we outline a centralized resource we've created to help them learn about and stay informed on a variety of Board policies and practice specific topics. 

Learn more here: www.ncmedboard.org/quickstart

Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley, Communications Director, North Carolina Medical Board
Producer: Sylvia French-Hodges, Communications Specialist, North Carolina Medical Board

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Email your questions to: [email protected].

With the holiday season firmly upon us, host Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with NCMB's Chief Investigative Officer, Pat Berckmiller about the worrying trend the Board has seen around this time of year and the marked increase in licensee arrests for DWI, most of which are alcohol related.

Please Note: We’ll be taking a two-month hiatus to recharge and recalibrate for the coming year, with our first episode of 2025 slated for March. Happy Holidays from the North Carolina Medical Board!

Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley, Communications Director, North Carolina Medical Board
Guest: Pat Berckmiller, Chief Investigative Officer, North Carolina Medical Board
Producer: Sylvia French-Hodges, Communications Specialist, North Carolina Medical Board

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Email your questions to: [email protected].

Hurricane Helene barreled into Western North Carolina on the morning of Friday, September 27th, leaving unprecedented levels of devastation in its wake. The storm has since been confirmed as the most damaging and deadly hurricane in North Carolina history. Host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with State Health Director Dr. Betsey Tilson about all of the things NC DHHS has been doing to safeguard the health and safety of people impacted by the storm. 

Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley
Guest: Dr. Betsey Tilson, State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer, NC DHHS
Producer: Sylvia French-Hodges

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Email your questions to: [email protected].

It can be frustrating when medication shortages impact access to essential healthcare. Host Jean Fisher-Brinkley discusses a range of possible solutions with Jay Campbell, Executive Director at the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy. Find out what steps healthcare consumers and providers can take in such situations.

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Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley
Guest: Jack W. “Jay” Campbell IV, JD, RPh, Executive Director at the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy
Producer: Sylvia French-Hodges

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Email your questions to: [email protected].