A 1977 graduate of the University of Vermont’s nursing program, Barbara Parton has provided compassionate care in numerous nursing roles such as clinical manager, clinical director, community health nurse and patient care coordinator.

Barbara has touched many lives in her nursing career. A pioneer in the hospice field, she developed, instituted, and managed strategies to merge an urban hospice program (Hospice of Cambridge) with a suburban one (Hospice Community Services in Dedham).

After over two decades as a nurse, she broadened her skills by studying acupuncture and interning at the AIDS Care Project, a program of Pathways to Wellness. She has also conducted acupuncture research at Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

She serves as a board member of Boston’s Integrative Medical Alliance where she advocates for multidisciplinary approaches that can result in improved health outcomes and greater patient satisfaction with care.

Barbara provides home-care acupuncture to Pathways’ clients who are living with multiple disabilities.