Laura Beth Barton, MSW, MHS, PA-C

I decided to become a physician assistant so I could care well for people and provide patients with holistic care. Before attending Physician Assistant (PA) school, I was a clinical social worker for 11 years. In that role, my main focus was helping patients with psychosocial stressors and mental health challenges. My motivation to become a PA was that I would be able to take care of the entire patient and not just one aspect of his/her health. I believe in patient-centered care. I want to find out what is important to my patients and help them meet their goals. By building strong relationships, I can better address concerns or fears and tailor a treatment plan that will work for my patients. I am very interested in helping patients to make behavioral changes that will positively impact their health outcomes such as smoking cessation, weight loss, exercise and stress reduction. I am excited to help my patients prevent disease so they can live long, healthy lives. Outside of work, I love spending quality time with my husband and two dogs. I enjoy being involved at church as well as baking, quilting, scrapbooking, and volunteering in the community. In terms of exercise, I like playing tennis, golf, swimming and rollerblading.