David Barbe

Dr. David Barbe is an incredibly accomplished physician who works for Jordan Valley's Tampa clinic. Dr. Barbe graduated with his MD from the University of Missouri-Columbia. After nearly two decades as a physician, Dr. Barbe served as the president for both the American Medical Association and the World Medical Association. Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards including the Missouri Family Physician of the Year, the Mercy Clinic Physician of the Year, and the Missourian Award. Dr. Barbe has worked at Jordan Valley Health since 2025.

Dr. Barbe became a provider because he grew up in a small town that faced a chronic shortage of physicians. Initially, he went to college to become a math teacher. However, during his sophomore year, Dr. Barbe realized that he could make an even greater impact by educating people about their health. Dr. Barbe always wanted to serve others, but the specific desire to guide people through vulnerable and frightening times redirected his path towards medicine. After completing family medicine training, Dr. Barbe and his wife returned to his underserved hometown. They viewed this opportunity as a mission to provide high-quality, much-needed healthcare to their community. While that was over 40 years ago, Dr. Barbe still fulfills that same mission by training family medicine residents to care for vulnerable patients who face barriers to accessing care. To Dr. Barbe, the greatest joy in medicine is helping patients understand their health and manage their conditions. There is nothing more satisfying to Dr. Barbe than seeing a patient ask questions and take initiative in improving their own well-being. The most rewarding part of his practice is watching someone's health and quality of life visibly improve because of the collaborative partnership they have built. Dr. Barbe approaches patient care with one phrase in mind: "Patients don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." He strives to deeply understand what matters the most to each individual. He accomplished this by discovering what they understand about their health, identifying where gaps exist, and uncovering what truly motivates them to make lasting, positive changes. Dr. Barbe ultimately believes that the most effective care is built on a foundation of shared decision making between the patient and the physician.

Dr. Barbe has served as the president of his local community foundation for the last 15 years. He also serves on the board of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks in Springfield, which is an umbrella organization for over 50 local community foundations. Dr. Barbe is married to his lovely wife, Debbie, whom he shares two children and six grandchildren with. In his free time, he enjoys gardening and cooking gourmet food.