Dr. Jerry Barker, Jr, MD, DABR, FACR

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Get to know Radiation Oncologist Dr. Jerry Barker, Jr., who serves patients in Fort Worth, Texas.

Skilfully trained in radiation oncology, Dr. Barker, Jr. is a physician at Texas Cancer Specialists  in Fort Worth, Texas.

Texas Cancer Specialists is a team of oncology professionals who are solely dedicated to health. With more than 125 years of combined experience caring for cancer patients, their goal is to treat them the same way they themselves would want to be treated: professionally and compassionately. They passionately believe that each patient should be able to have world-class, cutting-edge cancer care without having to travel beyond north Texas to get it. They are also available for consultations for inpatients at Fort Worth hospitals (Texas Health Fort Worth, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center Fort Worth, and Medical City Fort Worth).

Dr. Barker, Jr.’s early childhood was in Houston, Texas, where his dad worked at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. “Some of my very first memories involve visits to see dad at the radiation office. I remember seeing patients with huge cancers, and with markings on their faces or bodies for radiation therapy. Those scenes were really fascinating to a 4-year-old” expressed the doctor. 

Later, his family moved to Dallas and he would come home from school to hear his dad tell stories about cancer patients around the dinner table at night. It was no surprise, then, when Dr. Barker, Jr. also later chose to become a doctor and ultimately to specialize in radiation oncology. 

His acclaimed career in medicine began after he earned his medical degree from UT Southwestern Medical School. He then served his internship at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, and his residencies at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the University of Washington Medical Center. This was followed by a fellowship in radiology oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. 

“Having trained at multiple different leading cancer centers has taught me that there is more than one philosophy and more than one approach to treating most cancers. This allows me to guide patients through treatment options with a goal of choosing the treatment that is truly the best for them” noted Dr. Barker, Jr. 

In addition to being a Fellow of the American College of Radiology (FACR), he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Radiology (DABR). The mission of the ABR is to serve patients, the public, and the medical profession by certifying that its diplomates have acquired, demonstrated, and maintained a requisite standard of knowledge, skill, and understanding essential to the safe and competent practice of diagnostic radiology, radiation oncology, and medical physics.

Actually, having ‘oncology’ in the family became true in more than one sense. Dr Barker, Jr.’s paternal grandmother died from leukemia when he was only an infant, his maternal grandmother was later treated for colon cancer, he lost an uncle to melanoma, and his mom is a survivor of both breast cancer and colon cancer. “The entire cancer experience is really different when you are a patient/relative than when you are the doctor. When I meet a patient who has just been diagnosed with cancer, I remember that even though I have seen this problem a thousand times – for that person it is the first and likely only time they will be diagnosed with cancer. It is a unique, humbling, and frightening time in their life, and they deserve to be treated with special dignity” as stated by Dr. Barker, Jr.

He believes that caring for patients with cancer requires much more than just technical expertise. While in college at Abilene Christian University, in addition to pre-medical and biology classes, he also obtained a degree in Bible/religious studies. “The ideas I learned from classes in counseling and ministry at ACU were invaluable, and I use those concepts every day as I help patients make decisions and provide support for those who face difficult diseases” said Dr Barker, Jr. Ultimately, he developed a real joy for caring for some of the sickest and most symptomatic patients in his community, and this led to a second board certification in hospice & palliative medicine in 2009. 

Radiation oncology is a medical specialty that involves the controlled use of radiation to treat cancer. It is one of the three primary specialties, the other two being surgical and medical oncology, involved in the treatment of cancer. A radiation oncologist is a specialist physician who uses ionizing radiation in the treatment of cancer.

When he is not taking care of patients, Dr. Barker, Jr. enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. Together, they enjoy traveling, particularly to the mountains for hiking and fly-fishing. They also share a love for Tex-Mex cooking, and can often be spotted at local Mexican food restaurants across Fort Worth.

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