Lisa Barker, MD, HMDC, FAAHPM

Lisa W. Barker, MD, HMDC, CPE, FAAHPM, is a graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, where she also completed residency in Family Medicine before returning to eastern Kentucky to join a thriving group practice. In 2004, she was approached by the Medical Director of the local hospice organization and asked to begin covering some weekends at their inpatient unit. Immediately, she knew providing quality and compassionate end-of-life care was her passion. She began seeking out educational opportunities and expanded her role with the hospice company by doing home visits on her ½ day away from her Family Medicine practice. Already a board-certified Family Physician, she became certified by the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Once the specialty of Hospice and Palliative Medicine was recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties, Dr. Barker obtained her Certificate of Added Qualifications in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and later became a Certified Hospice Medical Director. Professionally, she was asked to become the Medical Director of the hospice for which she was working part-time in Kentucky and Ohio, while still managing a busy office practice, and assisted in developing both an inpatient and outpatient Palliative Care consultative service. Eventually, Dr. Barker decided to leave Family Medicine to pursue her passion of practicing in the field of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She relocated to Florida in 2016 to join Gulfside Healthcare Services as a team physician, then was quickly promoted to Associate Medical Director, followed by promotion to Medical Director in 2018, and more recently was promoted to Chief Medical Officer in January 2024. Dr. Barker has been designated as a Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, where she has served on national committees, and also as a Certified Physician Executive through the American Association for Physician Leadership. Always interested in Education, she has become faculty for both an Internal Medicine residency program and a Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship, providing didactic presentations and overseeing resident/fellow rotations. Dr. Barker continues to focus on education, for herself, her students, her colleagues, and the community, while improving the delivery of Hospice and Palliative Care to those in need.