Professor Stephen R. Baker is a valued member of HealthManagement’s Editorial Board - Imaging section, and previously served on the Editorial Board of IMAGING Management. Prof. Baker is a renowned educator and researcher, and has been professor and chair of the Department of Radiology at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School since 1990. He is one of 13 faculty members to be inducted into the university’s Stuart D. Cook, M.D., Master Educators Guild. The Guild’s purpose is “to recognise faculty who set the highest standards of academic excellence and have a true gift for teaching whether they are in the classroom, in the research laboratory, or in a patient care setting.". Prof. Baker has served as associate dean for graduate medical education since 2001.
We put our 7 questions to Prof. Baker:
1. What are your key areas of interest and research?
a) Key areas of interest:
- Radiologist demography, both in the US and globally
- The plain film of the abdomen
- The plain film of the abdomen
b) Key areas of research
- Radiology and malpractice
- The changing nature of radiology and its implications
- The reciprocal relationship between radiologists and referrers
2. What are the major challenges in your field?
- The interactions of radiologists with referrers
- Crafting meaningful reports
3. What is your top management tip?
Be there: set the tone by both precept and example
4. What would you single out as a career highlight?
Training two hundred radiology residents
5. If you had not chosen this career path you would have become a…?
Professional geographer
6. What are your personal interests outside of work?
Travel
History
Geography
Philosophy
7. Your favourite quote?
My favourite quote (source myself)!
No news is good news except if you are a gnu.
(It illustrates the problem of communication with homonyms and other inciters of confusion in speech.)
Dr. Baker earned his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University and his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. He did his post-doctoral training at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx and at the Bronx Municipal Hospital Center. He also earned a Masters in Philosophy (M. Phil.) in geography in 1980 from Columbia University.
Dr. Baker joined the faculty in the Department of Radiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1972, advanced to the rank of professor of radiology in 1987, and had been serving as acting chair of the Department of Radiology for four years when he left in 1990.
He research has focused on radiology management, functional MR imaging, gastrointestinal radiology, emergency radiology and public policy issues in radiology. He has published more than 200 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and authored 10 books.
Dr. Baker has held several leadership positions over the years, including serving as past president of the American Society of Emergency Radiology, which awarded him its highest professional award for his service to the organisation. He received an honorary doctor of medicine (MD) from Sriram Chandra Bhanja in 2005. He also has been named to Castle Connelly’s Best Doctors in America
Further Reading
Baker SR (2012) Maximizing economic resources for academic radiology: strategies for success. Imaging Management 12(2-3): 12-14.
Baker SR (2012) Getting ahead by getting along. Imaging Management 12(5): 15-16.
Baker SR (2013) The United States Healthcare System: the most is not necessarily the best. ICU Management 9(4): 44, 46.
Baker SR (2013) Job prospects for radiologists in the United States. Imaging Management 13(1): 12,14.
Baker SR (2013) 35 years of radiology consultation: taking it personally. HealthManagement 13(3): 25-6.
