James R. Baker, Jr., M.D.

Director, Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center
Ruth Dow Doan Professor of Biologic Nanotechnology
Professor Emeritus of Internal Medicine, Medical School and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering

Biography

Dr. Baker is the founding Director of the Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center and the Ruth Dow Doan Professor at Michigan Medicine. For 20 years, Dr. Baker was the chief of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the U-M. He is also a professor of biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering and the Director of the Michigan Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological Sciences. His prior accolades include the Distinguished University Innovator Award from the U-M Office of the Vice President for Research and the Damen Award for Distinguished alumnus from the Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine.

Dr. Baker's research is in the area of immunology and host defense, evolving into nanomaterials and their applications in therapeutics. He has invented new forms of synthetic lipid and polymeric nanostructures, which have resulted in the development new approaches to vaccines. He has founded 4 companies and spent 2 years as SVP and worldwide Head of the Vaccine Franchise at Merck. For the past 5 years he was also the CEO and CMO of Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) the national food allergy foundation (www.foodallergy.org). His expertise spans the entire arc of therapeutic development from bench to commercial approval.