Jeffrey Paul Baker

Jeffrey Paul Baker is Professor of Pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine and Director of the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities & History of Medicine. With joint appointments in Pediatrics and History, he holds an M.D. and Ph.D. from Duke. Baker's groundbreaking research bridges pediatric medicine and medical history.

His scholarship examines historical and contemporary issues including vaccine development, health disparities, autism spectrum disorders, and neonatal medicine. Baker pioneered research on the history of premature infant care and incubator technology, examining how medical innovations reflected broader societal values. His current projects investigate structural racism in healthcare through historical case studies of segregated medical systems.

Baker has led NIH-funded research on childhood vaccine policy and the history of neonatology. His 2025 study on racial disparities during the 1918 influenza pandemic exemplifies his interdisciplinary approach to health equity research.