Michelle Barron, MD

Care Philosophy

Dr. Michelle Barron is the senior medical director of infection prevention and control for UCHealth, an innovative nonprofit health system that consists of 14 hospitals and hundreds of clinics across the state of Colorado. She is based at University of Colorado Hospital on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, the system’s academic anchor and the only adult academic medical center in the region. As one of the top infectious disease experts in the state, Dr. Barron’s role is to help operationalize systems and practices to prevent complications related to infections. She also monitors viruses and outbreaks, providing guidance for prevention and care to staff and patients across all UCHealth care sites. After graduating from Yale in 1992, she returned to her home state of Texas for medical school at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. While there, Dr. Barron found her calling in infectious disease while treating people affected by AIDS. She then completed her internship and residency program at Creighton University before coming to Colorado in 1999 to begin her fellowship at the University of Colorado. For much of her career at University of Colorado Hospital, Dr. Barron has served as medical director of infection prevention and control. She is board certified in infectious disease and internal medicine. She’s also a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Barron has led the charge against infectious diseases including the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009 and Ebola in 2015. Since January 2020 and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has worked around the clock with fellow leaders to protect patients, staff and providers across UCHealth. Her message has always been comforting and clear; “This is what we do. We take care of sick patients. We know how to do this.” While coping with the pandemic, Dr. Barron has kept twin missions top of mind; providing extraordinary care to patients while protecting caregivers. Dr. Barron is also a member of the Colorado Governor’s Expert Emergency Epidemic Response Committee (GEEERC). When Dr. Barron isn’t tackling infectious diseases and pandemics, you can find her traveling the globe with her husband Greg, playing with her dog Chase and inspiring others with her trademark positivity and strength.