Kelly Baker

PhD

Kelly Baker headshot.

Kelly Baker

PhD

Kelly Baker

PhD

Associate Professor
Director, Center for Climate Change and Health Equity

Research Topics

Maternal and child health; One Health; Infectious Disease prevention and control; global development and health; climate change; flood borne outbreaks; water insecurity; water quality; antimicrobial resistance; rapid diagnostics; STEM education; transdisciplinary collaboration

Overview Publications

Summary

Kelly Baker, PhD, joined the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health in 2024 as an associate professor and director of the Center for Climate Change and Health Equity. Previously, Baker worked at the University of Iowa, Emory University, and the University of Maryland Baltimore Center for Vaccine Development. Her transdisciplinary research focuses on identifying global development, behavioral, and diagnostic interventions that can be used in One Health programs to prevent infectious disease transmission between humans, animals, and the environment, with a focus on gastrointestinal and antimicrobial resistant infections in young children (globally) and rural America. Her work at the climate-health equity interface in urban informal settlements globally examines the impact of poor neighborhood development and pluvial flooding in diarrheal and enteric fever disease burden. Another project focus on determining whether prevention of water and sanitation insecurity among low-income rural pregnant women can prevent preterm and low infant birthweight deliveries.

Education

  • PhD, molecular microbiology and immunology, University of Maryland Baltimore
  • BS, biology and ecology, Oral Roberts University

Awards

  • ASM Student Travel Grant Award, 106th Annual Meeting
  • 1st Place: Basic Science Division, University of Maryland, Baltimore Graduate Research Conference
  • Outstanding Graduate School Student, University of Maryland
  • Center for Vaccine Development NIH T32 Trainee Fellowship in Global Health
  • Global Health Institute Scholar of Safe Water and Sanitation, Emory University
  • Runner-up for Young Investigator Award, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
  • U.S. National Academy of Sciences Award, U.S.-Africa Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Fellow