Thank you to Dr. Jason Baker for his exceptional dedication and service as HHRI Vice President
Jason Baker, MD, MS, recently stepped down as Vice President of Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI). Dr. Baker began his tenure as VP in January 2015 when the institute was the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation and served in the role until December 2021. During this time, Dr. Baker was instrumental in overseeing HHRI operations and helped lead the organization through significant growth and change. Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Baker established the Office of Researcher Resources to provide support to investigators in all aspects of research and extramural funding.
Dr. Baker is the Division Director of HIV Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Hennepin Healthcare and an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota. He practices clinical Infectious Diseases and HIV medicine and is the PI for a translational research program that focuses on complications and treatment strategies in context of HIV disease or COVID-19. Over the past decade, his research program has focused on cardiovascular disease and other complications of aging in the context of HIV disease. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Baker’s group has also conducted numerous National Institutes of Health (NIH)/Operation Warp Speed (OWS) funded clinical trials and a longitudinal observational study on Post-Acute Sequalae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC).
Dr. Baker collaborates with larger networks nationally and internationally. He also serves on a number of scientific committees in the fields of HIV and COVID-19, including being a member of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Panel on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treatment Guidelines.
NIH recognizes Dr. Baker for contributions to the COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines
In December 2021, Dr. Baker received a letter of appreciation from NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci recognizing him for his contributions to the NIH Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treatment Guidelines, which provide clinicians with evidence-based recommendations on the management of COVID-19. They acknowledged Dr. Baker’s expertise and dedication to participating in meetings and writing and editing content for the guidelines while responding to his extensive clinical and research responsibilities at Hennepin Healthcare.
“We are extremely proud of Dr. Baker’s work in the COVID-19 arena, which brought new therapies to our patients at Hennepin Healthcare through his clinical trials. His ongoing research will help us better understand the long-term impact of this disease and help us serve our patients well,” said HHRI President Ajay Israni, MD, MS.
A sincere thank you goes out to Dr. Baker for his outstanding leadership as Vice President of HHRI and for his important contributions in advancing medicine and improving care for patients locally and across the globe.