Our People

Josh Baru, MD, graduated medical school from the NYU School of Medicine and went on to complete his training in internal medicine at the University of Chicago Hospital.

After graduation he completed a fellowship in clinical Medical Ethics at the MacLean Center for Ethics of the University of Chicago. In 2006, Josh went on to become a hospitalist at Cook County Hospital (aka John H. Stroger Hospital) in Chicago where he discovered his passion for Palliative Medicine, subsequently becoming board certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

During his tenure at Cook County Hospital, Josh developed an interest and expertise in medical education. He went on to win several teaching awards and helped design and implement curricula for the School of Medicine at Rush Medical College.

In 2014, Josh devoted his entire clinical practice to Palliative Medicine and became the program director for the Rush/Stroger Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship program. He was the director for this program until he joined the faculty at Mission Health.

Josh’s academic interests include medical ethics, the care of the under served, and medical education.

He loves to cook and is a passionate, though not very productive, gardener.

Sandy Whitlock, MD, has been a palliative care physician at Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC since 2015. She received her medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Following internal medicine residency at the University of Chicago, she completed the Harvard Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship.

After fellowship, she practiced as a palliative medicine attending at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and served as an Instructor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. While at MGH, Dr. Whitlock was active in teaching medical students, residents, and fellows. During her time in Boston, she also completed the Harvard Medical Ethics Fellowship.

Dr. Whitlock currently serves as the Assistant Program Director for the Asheville Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship and the Associate Program Director for the UNC School of Medicine Asheville Campus. She remains active in teaching learners at all levels. She is particularly interested in teaching advanced communication skills.

Sandy has loved living in Asheville with her husband and three kids. She loves running and gardening.

Casey Sharpe, MD, completed his medical degree at the University of Texas, where he was a member of the McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine. He completed both his family medicine residency training and a fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at MAHEC in Asheville. In 2019 he joined the Mission Palliative Care team and became assistant program director of the MAHEC Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship.

Dr. Sharpe is interested in expanding the influence and availability of palliative care, and in making healthcare in general more person-centered and responsive to the problem of suffering. To this end, he is active in developing primary palliative care curricula and teaching medical students, residents, and fellows. Other areas of special interest include pediatric palliative care, deprescribing, narrative medicine, and substance use disorders.

Casey lives with his wife and son in Black Mountain.

Caroline Knox, MD, is delighted to serve as teaching faculty for the Asheville Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship. She received her medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She trained in family medicine at St. Mary’s Family Medicine Residency in Grand Junction, CO. After a year practicing outpatient family medicine in Levin, New Zealand, she trained in Palliative Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. Dr. Knox moved to Asheville, NC in 2014 and joined the Mission Hospital Palliative Medicine team, where she serves as a palliative care consultant.

Board Certified in Family Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Diplomate of American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine.

My interest in Hospice and Palliative Care began when I was freshman at Davidson College. I volunteered for The Hospice of Charlotte and had valuable experiences that greatly influenced me throughout my medical training at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia and at MAHEC Family Medicine here in Asheville, NC. Following my training, I had the privilege of joining the HPM Fellowship Program as one of the first Fellows from 2011-2012. Upon completion of the program, I joined the CarePartners team and began working at Solace, a 26-bed inpatient Hospice facility. Outside of work, I enjoy cooking, hiking, playing music and spending time with my family.