Rob Baker

Professor Rob Baker serves as Director of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Research, Quality and Outcomes Unit at Flinders Medical Centre, and holds academic appointment as Full Member in the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University. His leadership extends to directing Perfusion Services at Flinders Medical Centre, supporting Cardiac Surgery, ECMO, Organ Retrieval, and the South Australian Liver Transplant program. He also chairs the Australian and New Zealand Collaborative Perfusion Registry and participates in national cardiac surgery database committees.

Professor Baker's educational background includes a B (Med) Sci (Hons) from University of Adelaide (1986), a PhD from Flinders University (1996) with thesis titled 'Sphincter of Oddi activity - An invitro study in the Australian Brush-tailed Possum', and Certified Clinical Perfusionist (CCP) certification from the Australian Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion (1998).

His research focuses on improving outcomes for cardiac surgery patients through multiple critical areas including blood management, cardiovascular perfusion techniques, clinical practice improvement, data management systems, and neurocognitive effects of cardiac surgery. Professor Baker has made significant contributions to understanding mood disorders following cardiac procedures and pharmacological interventions to optimize postoperative outcomes. His work spans both clinical practice and registry-based research with strong emphasis on quality improvement initiatives and guideline establishment.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a consistent focus on outcomes research in specialized patient populations (particularly those with renal impairment), optimization of surgical techniques, and perfusion science. His work demonstrates strong collaboration across Australia and New Zealand with emphasis on registry development and quality improvement initiatives in cardiac surgery.

Professor Baker's scientific achievements have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards including the John H Gibbon, Jr Award from the American Society of Extracorporeal Technology (2017), multiple Presidential Awards from the American Society of Extracorporeal Cardiovascular Perfusion, and the Inaugural Presidential Award from the Australian and New Zealand College of Perfusion (2013).

As an academic supervisor, Professor Baker has mentored numerous graduate and postgraduate students, with notable successes including Phil Tully's NHMRC Postgraduate Fellowship (2013) and Frank Dalziel Prize for Best Thesis in Psychology (2011). His supervision spans diverse areas including neuropsychology in cardiac surgery, micro RNA biomarkers, ischemic preconditioning, and advanced imaging techniques.

Professor Baker leads the Cardiothoracic Surgery Research, Quality and Outcomes Unit which operates as part of the Australian and New Zealand Collaborative Perfusion Registry, contributing to national and international efforts to improve cardiac surgical outcomes through data-driven quality improvement initiatives.