Elizabeth Baker

Elizabeth Baker is an Associate Professor of Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She also holds affiliate roles as a Scientist in the UAB School of Medicine’s Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, Lung Health Center, and O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research focuses on quantitative methodology, health disparities, immigration, and family dynamics. She earned her PhD in Sociology and Demography from Penn State University and completed postdoctoral training at the RAND Corporation.

Dr. Baker’s work integrates social sciences with clinical research, particularly in cystic fibrosis and cancer. She leads the Social Determinants of Health Research Core at UAB and has developed tools to incorporate SDH measures into clinical studies. Notable contributions include studies on tobacco exposure’s impact on CFTR modulator efficacy and the role of social vulnerability in cancer outcomes. She has been awarded the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Statnet award.

Her teaching spans courses like Regression Analysis and Sociology of Biology. She actively mentors PhD students in interdisciplinary research, serving on multiple dissertation committees. Dr. Baker’s grants include the NIH-funded Obesity Health Disparities Research Center and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Socioeconomic Cost Adjustment Tools project.

• Education: BA (Bowling Green State University), MA (Bowling Green State University), PhD (Penn State University)
• Key Appointments: Associate Professor (Sociology), Affiliated Scientist (Cystic Fibrosis Research Center)
• Awards: Statnet Award (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 2021)