Michael Baker (epidemiologist)

Michael George Baker MNZM is an epidemiologist with the University of Otago.[1] Baker is a member of the New Zealand Food Safety Authority's Academy and of the New Zealand Ministry of Health's Pandemic Influenza Technical Advisory Group (PITAG).[2][3][4]

Michael Baker

MNZM
Baker in 2020
Born
Michael George Baker
CitizenshipNew Zealand
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Otago
University of Auckland
Academic work
DisciplineEpidemiology
InstitutionsUniversity of Otago

Early life

Baker studied at the University of Otago, where he graduated MB ChB and earned a Diploma in Public Health, and the University of Auckland where he obtained a Diploma in Obstetrics.[5]

Career

He originally wanted to specialise in emergency medicine or psychiatry, but got a job as a medical advisor for the Minister of Health. In that role he worked on the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and helped to set up a needle exchange programme.[6]

He was appointed to the faculty at Otago in 1997, rising to the rank of professor in the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington in 2013.[5]

He has campaigned to reduce campylobacter contamination in chicken in New Zealand.[1]

COVID-19 pandemic

In January 2020, Baker began to read reports about the COVID-19 outbreak in China, and he was asked to join the Ministry of Health's COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group.[6] In February 2020 he was advocating with colleagues at the University of Otago to 'stamp out' COVID-19 in New Zealand and keep it out, rather than trying to 'flatten the curve'.[6] The Government eventually introduced a countrywide lockdown.

In April 2020, Baker stated that New Zealand had the "most decisive and strongest lockdown in the world at the moment" and that it is the only Western country where the goal is to eliminate COVID-19.[7] Baker thinks we will look back on COVID-19 as "the most profound public health intervention in our history".[6]

Honours and awards

In 2013, Baker was awarded the HRC Liley Medal for his contribution to the health and medical sciences.[8]

In the 2021 New Year Honours, Baker was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to public health science.[9]

Personal life

Baker lives in Brooklyn, Wellington, with his family.[1]

Selected publications
  • Baker, Michael G.; Wilson, Nick; Anglemyer, Andrew (2020). "Successful Elimination of Covid-19 Transmission in New Zealand". New England Journal of Medicine: e56. doi:10.1056/NEJMc2025203. ISSN 0028-4793.
  • Baker, Michael; Kvalsvig, Amanda; Verrall, Ayesha; Telfar-Barnard, Lucy; Wilson, Nick (2020). "New Zealand's elimination strategy for the COVID-19 pandemic and what is required to make it work". New Zealand Medical Journal. 133: 10–14.
  • Wilson, Nick; Turner, Nikki; Baker, Michael (2019). "One hundred years ago in 1919: New Zealand's birth reduction shock associated with an influenza pandemic". New Zealand Medical Journal. 132: 57–62.
  • Boyd, Matt; Baker, Michael; Mansoor, Osman; Kvizhinadze, Giorgi; Wilson, Nick (2017). "Protecting an island nation from extreme pandemic threats: proof-of-concept around border closure as an intervention". PLOS ONE. 12. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0178732.
  • Baker, Michael; Zhang, Jane; Blakely, Tony; Crane, Julian; Saville-Smith, Kay; Howden-Chapman, Philippa (2016). "Collaborating with a social housing provider supports a large cohort study of the health effects of housing conditions". BMC Public Health. 16 (1). doi:10.1186/s12889-016-2730-9.
  • Baker Michael G, Wilson Nick, Blakely Tony. (2020) "Elimination could be the optimal response strategy for covid-19 and other emerging pandemic diseases"  BMJ. 371:m4907 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m4907

References
  1. Matthews, Philip (4 April 2020). "Man for this moment – epidemiologist Michael Baker". The Press.
  2. "Professor Michael Baker, Department of Public Health, Our People, University of Otago, Wellington, University of Otago, New Zealand". Otago.ac.nz. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  3. "Infectious Impacts, Profiles, University of Otago, New Zealand". Otago.ac.nz. 25 April 2009. Archived from the original on 14 February 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  4. "Michael Baker – Healthy Housing – He Kainga Oranga". Healthyhousing.org.nz. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  5. "Staff: Health Sciences – University of Otago, Wellington". University of Otago Calendar (PDF). 2020. p. 95. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  6. Easther, Elisabeth (13 April 2020). "My Story: Professor Michael Baker – 'I wept when PM announced that NZ was going into lockdown'". NZ Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  7. Wilson, Suze (7 April 2020). "Opinion: Three reasons why Jacinda Ardern's coronavirus response has been a masterclass in crisis leadership". Newshub. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  8. "Michael Baker – New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities". Sustainablecities.org.nz. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  9. "New Year honours list 2021". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
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