Jean Fisher Brinkley is NCMB’s Communications Director, a role that involves developing and overseeing production of communications materials and strategies needed to enhance public and professional awareness and understanding of the Board and its mission. She joined NCMB in 2008, after an 11-year career in newspaper journalism, most of it dedicated to reporting on medicine, health policy and the business aspects of health care.

Brinkley earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Mills College in Oakland, CA, and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. She lives in Raleigh with her husband and two daughters.

You can reach Jean at podcast@ncmedboard.org

Marissa Hoechstetter is a survivor of sexual assault by an OB/GYN while she was pregnant. She writes, speaks, and advocates for patient safety and criminal justice reform. Her abuser lost his medical license through criminal prosecution and was recently federally indicted for additional crimes against patients. Marissa is the founder of Reform the Sex Crimes Unit, a campaign for increased transparency and accountability within the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. She is also a member of RAINN’s Speakers Bureau and the Patient Safety Action Network’s Medical Board Roundtable. Marissa is a senior advancement and communications professional and lives with her family in Massachusetts. Follow her at @mhoechstetter or marissah.me. 

Wanda Long has worked for the North Carolina Medical Board (NCMB) for 30 years and has a few different responsibilities there. She is currently a Board Paralegal where she supports Board attorneys by performing general and legal specialized duties. Wanda is also the Rules Coordinator and shepherds all NCMB rule amendments and adoptions through the Rules Review Commission’s process. Additionally, Wanda is the Board’s Victim Services Coordinator where she supports victims of sexual misconduct by licensees of the Board by helping them access support resources in their area, guiding the victim through the Board’s investigative and case review process, and if needed, being a continued resource after the case has been investigated and resolved.

Wanda is a certified paralegal for the State of North Carolina, and she is the recipient of Victim Services Practitioner Certification from North Carolina Victim Assistance Network.