Paula Barton

Professional Experience

Dr. Paula Barton, BS, MS, PharmD, JD, CHC, CHPC, PRS, is a recognized authority and advisor on healthcare compliance, including corporate compliance programs, pharmacy management, regulatory affairs, and privacy. She advises compliance and operations teams, senior executives, and boards on building resilient compliance infrastructures that satisfy regulatory obligations while at the same time strengthening operational performance and organizational integrity. She has worked with a variety of health care programs, managed care organizations, life sciences companies, pharmacy benefit managers, and federal healthcare institutions facing complex compliance demands and heightened enforcement scrutiny. 

With more than two decades of experience, Dr. Barton has developed and transformed enterprise compliance, quality, and regulatory affairs programs to meet the most stringent requirements of the FDA, DEA, CMS, and state boards of pharmacy. She is known for integrating governance, risk management, and operational controls into compliance frameworks that remain effective under constant regulatory change. Her expertise includes compliance program design, risk assessments, Corporate Integrity Agreement implementation, and corrective action planning. 

Previous Work Experience

Dr. Barton previously served as Chief of the Clinical Pharmacy & Investigational Drug Research Service at the National Institutes of Health, where she directed clinical, regulatory, and operational oversight of the organization’s investigational drug research program. She ensured readiness for inspections by FDA, DEA, and other regulatory bodies, implemented clinical research quality programs, and led cross-functional teams in aligning clinical trial operations with CFR, GMP, and GCP standards. She also held senior compliance leadership roles including Vice President of the National Pharmacy Compliance Program for Kaiser Permanente, Senior Director of Compliance at DaVita Kidney Care, and Senior Director of Health & Wellness Compliance, Privacy, and Quality Assurance for Walmart & Sam’s Club. Across these roles, she built and optimized compliance programs for multi-state operations serving millions of patients.  Dr. Barton’s career reflects a deep commitment to safe, compliant healthcare delivery and proactive risk management. She is a frequent advisor, educator, and speaker on healthcare compliance strategy, pharmacy regulatory oversight, and the integration of compliance into enterprise risk frameworks.