# Lisa Fitzpatrick

> Lisa Fitzpatrick is an infectious-disease physician, medical epidemiologist, and founder and CEO of Grapevine Health, a Washington, DC digital health media company that uses street interviews, plain-language video, and text messaging to build trust and health literacy in Black and brown communities. A former CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officer, Caribbean health diplomat, and chief medical officer for DC Medicaid, she became known as 'Dr. Lisa on the Street' for standing on sidewalks to answer real people's medical questions and bust misinformation.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Grapevine Health
- **Organizations:** Grapevine Health, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (former), DC Medicaid (former), Howard University (former), Wellness Equity Alliance, National Academies Roundtable on Health Literacy, Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellowship
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. and M.D. (six-year accelerated BA/MD program), University of Missouri-Kansas City, Residency, St. Vincent Hospital and Health Services, Indianapolis, Infectious Diseases Fellowship, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, MPH / M.S., Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, MPA, Harvard Kennedy School (John F. Kennedy School of Government)
- **Known for:** Founded and leads Grapevine Health, a digital health media company improving health literacy in underserved communities, Created the 'Dr. Lisa on the Street' and 'Ask Dr. Lisa' video series, Former Chief Medical Officer of the DC Medicaid program

## Career timeline

- **1998** — Joined the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service as a disease-investigation officer, focusing on tuberculosis and infectious disease.
- **2001** — Worked with the San Francisco Department of Health's Office of AIDS on HIV/AIDS education after earning her MPH at UC Berkeley.
- **2008** — Joined Howard University as associate professor of medicine, running clinical programs at Howard University Hospital.
- **2012** — Founded Promoting Practical Health, a nonprofit focused on improving health literacy.
- **2014-2018** — Served as Chief Medical Officer for the DC Medicaid program.
- **2018** — Conducted a Commonwealth Fund survey on where Medicaid patients get health information.
- **2019** — Incorporated Grapevine Health as a for-profit digital health media company.
- **2020** — Advised Joe Biden's presidential campaign on health policy and volunteered for the Moderna mRNA vaccine Phase 3 trial.
- **2021** — Grapevine Health raised seed funding to scale street outreach and digital content.
- **2023** — Launched HealthText, a plain-language text-messaging platform, backed by a National Science Foundation grant.

## Achievements

- Founded and leads Grapevine Health, a digital health media company improving health literacy in underserved communities
- Created the 'Dr. Lisa on the Street' and 'Ask Dr. Lisa' video series
- Former Chief Medical Officer of the DC Medicaid program
- CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officer and global health diplomat in the Caribbean
- Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow
- Member of the National Academies' Roundtable on Health Literacy
- E. Grey Dimond Take Wing Award, UMKC School of Medicine (2011)
- Professorial lecturer at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health
- Secured a National Science Foundation grant to build the HealthText platform

## Latest updates

- **2023-12** — Profiled by Washingtonian for using technology and street-level video to reach Medicaid patients; Grapevine Health expanding its HealthText texting platform.
- **2023-02** — Featured by NPR's Health Shots as 'Dr. Lisa on the Street' busting health myths and empowering patients.

## Links

- Website: https://grapevinehealth.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lisakfitzpatrick
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/healthgrapevine
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/grapevinehealth
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grapevinehealth

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/lisa-fitzpatrick
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-27