Our Staff - Great Paws Veterinary Hospital

Dr. Barker

For Dr. Barker, pets are family. With a decade of experience in practicing veterinary medicine, Dr. Barker is passionate about fostering that special family bond between her clients and their pets. While she loves snuggling with puppies and kittens every day, she dedicates a lot of her time to caring for pets in their senior years of life.

Dr. Barker is focused on helping pets manage painful conditions such as acute injuries, arthritis, and cancer to give them the best life possible.

As an Elite Certified Fear Free Veterinarian, Dr. Barker has special training to lower fear, anxiety, and stress for each and every one of her patients. She is certified in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine. By integrating Eastern medicine into her treatment repertoire, Dr. Barker helps her patients benefit from an integrated approach to case management.

Dr. Barker is a Virginia native. Growing up in Great Falls and McLean, VA, she attended The Madeira School and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Virginia Tech for both her undergraduate and veterinary degrees. In 2010, she began working as a small animal veterinarian at a busy practice in Alexandria, and then returned to her hometown, caring for patients throughout Great Falls and surrounding areas. In her free time, Dr. Barker loves spending time with her husband and three beautiful kids. On weekends, she doubles as a Horse Show mom and can be seen ringside with her husband and son cheering on their daughters. Dr. Barker’s four-legged children include an array of dogs, cats, and ponies.

Elspeth

Elspeth grew up in Washington State before moving to Virginia after college. She studied English literature and writing, earning a BFA and an MFA in the subject. She has worked with animals in numerous capacities over the years—pet sitting and dog walking, volunteering, and now working as a vet assistant. She enjoys being surrounded by dogs and cats, and she loves and appreciates animals in general. She also loves books, writing, and art, particularly painting. She strives to treat all animals who walk through the door with the same compassion and thorough care she'd want for her own animals.

Liz

Born and raised in Springfield, Virginia, Liz has been working in the veterinary field since 2010, when she met Dr. Barker. Wanting to further pursue her passion for veterinary medicine, she received her B.S. degree in Biology from James Madison University in 2013 and her A.A.S. degree in veterinary technology from NVCC in 2018. Liz is Fear Free Certified and values taking the time to listen to your pet's needs and implementing low-stress handling in order to have the best visit possible for your pet. Liz has a passion for animal rescue, animal behavior, building and maintaining patient and client relationships, anesthesia, and dentistry. When not caring for your furry companions, Liz enjoys hiking, spending time with her rescue beagle Jill, traveling, Orangetheory fitness, and basically anything outdoors! With Liz’s warm smile and genuine care, your beloved pets are guaranteed a VIP experience at Great Paws.

Patty

There are few things Patricia loves more in this world than the love and care of animals. Patricia, a Massachusetts Native, moved to Virginia in 2012 to attend George Mason University and never left. After college, she went on to work in the pet care industry for a number of years before joining the Great Paws Team in 2021. Outside of work, Patricia enjoys reading, painting, and spending time with loved ones. She has three fur babies at home: a pitbull named Bella and two cats, Ahsoka Cato and Kitty. For all the love they give her, she seeks to give some of it back to each and every patient that walks through our doors. As Olive Garden once said, "When you're here, you're family."