Rebecca Baker
About Rebecca Baker
Rebecca Baker serves as the Special Assistant to the Deputy Director for Science, Outreach, and Policy at the National Institutes of Health, where she has worked since 2015. With a background in health science policy and a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology, she has contributed to various initiatives including the NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy.
Current Role at National Institutes of Health
Rebecca Baker serves as the Special Assistant to the Deputy Director for Science, Outreach, and Policy at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She has held this position since 2015, contributing to various legislative, communications, and policy issues within the NIH Office of Science, Outreach, and Policy. Her role involves supporting the Deputy Director in advancing science outreach initiatives and policy development.
Previous Positions at National Institutes of Health
Baker has held multiple positions at the National Institutes of Health. She worked as a Health Science Policy Analyst from 2014 to 2015 and as a Special Assistant to the Director from 2016 to 2018. Additionally, she served as a Contributing Writer for the NIH CATALYST and completed a Science Policy Analyst Internship, both from 2013 to 2014. During her postdoctoral fellowship from 2010 to 2014, she utilized next-generation DNA sequencing to identify novel disease-causing genes.
Educational Background
Rebecca Baker earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Cornell University, where she studied from 2000 to 2004. She then pursued her PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, completing her studies from 2004 to 2009. Her educational background laid the foundation for her subsequent research and policy work in the field of health science.
Research and Contributions
During her postdoctoral research, Baker focused on identifying novel disease-causing genes in patients with rare immunological diseases using next-generation DNA sequencing. She also contributed to the development and implementation of the NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy while working in the NIH Office of Science Policy. Her research and policy contributions reflect her commitment to advancing scientific understanding and public health.
Professional Experience Prior to NIH
Before her extensive career at the National Institutes of Health, Rebecca Baker was a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Columbia University Medical Center from 2009 to 2010. She also served as an American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellow and PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2009. These roles provided her with a strong foundation in research and policy analysis.