Obituary of Barbara Jean Barnett

August 25, 2025

To the great sadness of her loving family, friends and colleagues Barbara Jean Barnett, MD, MHCDS, FACEP, FACP, passed away peacefully on Monday, August 25, at the age of 62.

She is survived by her loving husband Walter and her son Walter IV. Her son Christopher has welcomed her into heaven as well as her dearly departed father Walter Weerbrouck. Also mourning her loss are her mother Patricia Weerbrouck, sisters  Susan, Debbie, & Eileen as well as her brothers Stephen and Brian.

Never one to accept the status quo, Dr. Barnett was passionate and relentless about improving care for patients and communities. As Chief Medical Officer of Mount Sinai Beth Israel, and then Mount Sinai Downtown, from 2014 to 2023, Dr. Barnett played an integral role in transforming Mount Sinai’s operations in downtown Manhattan and helped lead Mount Sinai through the COVID-19 pandemic. She led and achieved groundbreaking improvements in quality, safety, clinical excellence, and physician affairs at the former Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai-Union Square, The Blavatnik Family Chelsea Medical Center, and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.

In her most recent role as System Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Transfer Services, Dr. Barnett played an integral role in the Clinical Command Center. She was deeply committed to ensuring the quality and safety of patient transfers. Dr. Barnett established a robust quality infrastructure that unified interdisciplinary teams across the organization to review care processes and design safer systems of care for our patients. She occasionally led the 9 am system daily huddle—always beginning those calls by mentioning a quirky or offbeat celebration, such as National Ice Cream Day—while preparing staff for the inevitable daily challenges ahead.

“Simply put, I have never known a more courageous, compassionate, selfless, and impactful human being and colleague,” said Jeremy Boal, MD, former Chief Clinical Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System, who worked closely with Dr. Barnett beginning in 2007 at Northwell Health and continued to work closely with her when they both moved to Mount Sinai. “Her impact on our communities, and on all who know and love her, is truly beyond measure. She will live in our hearts forever."

She achieved a Masters degree in Healthcare Delivery science from Dartmouth University and an undergraduate degree from New York University. But of her many valued roles, the ones that we believe gave her the greatest satisfaction was that of devoted wife and caring mother. She and her husband met an NYU in 1982 and shared 43 wonderful years together. Her two sons were her greatest pride and joy. She was head of her sons’ school science fair for two years, a class mother and a weekly helper on Pizza Wednesdays. She planned and led many joyously memorable vacations for her family and showered them with care and affection throughout her motherhood. It is indescribable the void that her passing has left.

In lieu of flowers, donations to https://raiseyourway.donordrive.com/campaigns/In-Honor-of-Barbara-Barnett would be appreciated by the family.

Funeral Services