Lisa Fitzpatrick

Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick, MD, MPH, MPA, is a physician entrepreneur, infectious disease specialist, and medical epidemiologist with expertise in clinical medicine, public health, and leadership. Fitzpatrick is the CEO and founder of Grapevine Health, an organization focused on health literacy and patient engagement, working to improve health communication in Black and brown communities. She also serves as a professorial lecturer at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Fitzpatrick earned her BA and MD at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, an MPH from the University of California-Berkeley School of Public Health, and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Before founding Grapevine Health, Fitzpatrick served as a Commander in the U.S. Public Health Service and spent 10 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she held leadership roles including senior medical epidemiologist, lead researcher, and mentor for minority investigators. She also served as a U.S. diplomat in the Caribbean region. Fitzpatrick later became the Senior Medical Director for the Washington, DC Department of Health Care Finance, overseeing clinical policies for the Medicaid program and collaborating with the Departments of Health, Human Services, Behavioral Health, and Emergency Services for a health care agency with a $3.1 billion budget.

Fitzpatrick established Grapevine Health as a digital health media company to build trust and improve patient engagement among Medicaid patients by delivering culturally appropriate and relatable health information. The organization uses storytelling, videos, social media, and person-to-person conversations to increase health literacy in low-income communities and support improved health outcomes. Known as Dr. Lisa, Fitzpatrick holds regular Facebook and Instagram live sessions and maintains an active presence on YouTube, engaging audiences through "Ask Dr. Lisa" and "Dr. Lisa on the Street."

Fitzpatrick is an advocate for bridging the gap between the scientific community and the public and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Roundtable on Health Literacy.

Fitzpatrick chronicled her mission in the book "The Birth of Grapevine Health," which details her journey as a CDC-trained medical epidemiologist delivering trusted health information to the Black community and explains her motivation for building Grapevine Health. The book serves as both a memoir and a health equity playbook, offering a roadmap for achieving health equity and integrating community perspectives.

Fitzpatrick has received several awards and honors, including the American Hospital Association Grassroots Champion Award, the DC Health Care Finance Director's Award for Excellence in Service, and the U.S. Public Health Service Commendation Medal. She has also been recognized by Ebony as a Future Leader of the 21st Century. Fitzpatrick is a Fellow of the Health Innovators Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She is a frequent speaker on healthcare innovation, entrepreneurship, health system transformation, data-informed process improvement, policy, community engagement, clinical trial inclusion, and leadership.