Biography
Dr. Michael Baker recently retired from a 40-year career in general, vascular, and trauma surgery.
He also served 30 years in the uniform of his country and retired from the US Navy with the rank of Rear Admiral, having earned numerous awards, including a Combat Action Ribbon and 3 Legion of Merit Awards.
He currently teaches history, political science, and military affairs for the Osher Lifelong Learning (OLLI) Programs at UC Berkeley, Dominican University, Cal State East Bay, and Cal State Channel Islands. He is also on the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth Club. Baker teaches Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) to physicians in the U.S., at military bases around the world. Most recently, he returned from his 5th tour in Ukraine, teaching ATLS to physicians in the war-torn nation.
Areas of Expertise
- SURGERY AND CASUALTY CARE
- STRATEGIC MEDICAL PLANNING
- DISASTER RESPONSE
- CASUALTY CARE DURING THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE
- THE ROLE OF THE MILITARY IN HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
- MEDICAL ASPECTS OF THE CONFLICT IN KOREA
- THE ROLE (IF ANY) OF HOSPITAL SHIPS IN CASUALTY CARE AND HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
- DOMESTIC USE OF THE MILITARY IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
Recent News
Effective Humanitarian Work: Teaching Medical Skill Sets in Ukraine – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38025923/
Casualty Care in Ukraine: Helping Ukrainians Defend Themselves and Their Homeland; 2022 Sept 23, OLLI UC Berkeley https://youtu.be/5WAQ3AxgMXE
Teaching Casualty Care in Ukraine: Proceedings of the US Naval Institute: Vol. 150/9/1,459. https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2024/september/teaching-casualty-care-ukraine
Xenakis, Steve, Cohen, ML, Baker, MS: The Real Donald Trump Problem: Cognitive Decline? https://nationalinterest.org/blog/politics/real-donald-trump-problem-cognitive-decline-213371
Russia’s Hybrid Warfare in Ukraine Threatens Both Healthcare & Health Protections Provided by International Law – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36743284/
The Hospital Ship as a Strategic Asset in 21st Century Foreign Policy and Global Health Crises – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38025923/
Arm The Next Generation Medical Ship – https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2024/august/arm-next-generation-medical-ship
Arming Hospital Ships of the Future: Hybrid Wars Require a Major Change – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37114679/
Casualties of the Global War on Terror and Their Future Impact on Health Care and Society: A Looming Public Health Crisis – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24690957/
Improving Pandemic Response with Military Tools: Using Enhanced Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance – https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2022.215
The Role of the Military in Domestic Law Enforcement – Will US Troops Fire on Demonstrators – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oqot9N-kyaAXes72HmKmWfjcephHUwl9/view?usp=drive_link
A Biodefense Fusion Center to Improve Disease Surveillance and Early Warnings to Enhance National Security. Daniel K. Inouye Security Center, September 2021. https://apcss.org/nexus_articles/a-biodefense-fusion-center-to-improve-disease-surveillance-and-early-warnings-to-enhance-national-security/
“The Sword, the Scalpel, and …the Toothbrush.” Barefoot Global Health Diplomacy: Field Experiences in International Relations, Security, and Epidemics (ISBN 9780128186817), December 2020 Elsevier Publishing https://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Global-Health-Diplomacy-Practitioners/dp/012818681X
The Intersection Of Global Health, Military Medical Intelligence, And National Security In The Management Of Transboundary Hazards And Outbreaks July 2020
https://apcss.org/nexus_articles/the-intersection-of-global-health-military-medical-intelligence-and-national-security-in-the-management-of-transboundary-hazards-and-outbreaks/
It’s Been “Groundhog Day” On the Korean Peninsula for Over 70 Years – https://www.jstor.org/stable/27160579
Military Medical Advances Resulting From the Conflict in Korea, Part I: Systems Advances That Enhanced Patient Survival – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22594133/
Medical Department in Military Operations Other Than War, Part 1: Planning for Deployment. Military Medicine 164, 8: 572-579, 1999. MILITARY MEDICINE, Vol. 177, April 2012 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10459268/
Military Medical Advances Resulting From the Conflict in Korea, Part II: Historic Clinical Accomplishments – MILITARY MEDICINE, 177, 4:430, 2012
Baker MS. From Horror to Hope: Recognizing and Preventing the Health Impacts of War. Annals of Global Health. 2022; 88(1): 72, 1–2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.3860 https://annalsofglobalhealth.org/articles/10.5334/aogh.3860 Medical Department in Military Operations Other Than War, Part II: Medical Civic Assistance Program in Southeast Asia. Military Medicine 164, 9: 619-624, 1999. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10495631/