Michael George Baker is an epidemiologist with the
University of Otago
, image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = University clock tower
, motto = la, Sapere aude
, mottoeng = Dare to be wise
, established = 1869; 152 years ago
, type = Public research collegiate ...
.
Baker is a member of the
New Zealand Food Safety Authority
__NOTOC__
New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS), or Haumaru Kai Aotearoa, is the New Zealand government body responsible for food safety, and is the controlling authority for imports and exports of food and food-related products. In April 2012 it was mer ...
's Academy and of the
New Zealand Ministry of Health's Pandemic Influenza Technical Advisory Group (PITAG).
Early life
Baker has an identical twin brother, David, who is a general practitioner in Sydney, Australia. The twins are the eldest of four children. They attended secondary school in
Hamilton and medical school in Auckland. Michael Baker studied at the University of Otago, where he graduated
MB ChB
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...
and earned a Diploma in Public Health, and the
University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
where he obtained a Diploma in Obstetrics.
Career
He originally wanted to specialise in emergency medicine or psychiatry, but got a job in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...
as a medical advisor for the Minister of Health. In that role he worked on the response to the
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
epidemic, and helped to set up a
needle exchange programme
A needle and syringe programme (NSP), also known as needle exchange program (NEP), is a social service that allows injecting drug users (IDUs) to obtain clean and unused hypodermic needles and associated paraphernalia at little or no cost. It ...
.
He was appointed to the faculty at the University of Otago in 1997, rising to the rank of professor in the Department of Public Health at the
University of Otago, Wellington
The University of Otago, Wellington is one of seven component schools that make up the University of Otago Division of Health Sciences. All University of Otago medical students who gain entry after a competitive Health Sciences First Year program ...
in 2013.
He has campaigned to reduce
campylobacter contamination in chicken in New Zealand.
COVID-19 pandemic
In January 2020, Baker began to read reports about the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
outbreak in China, and he was asked to join the Ministry of Health's COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group.
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'.
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. Baker thinks we will look back on COVID-19 as "the most profound public health intervention in our history".
In October 2021, Baker advocated a regional approach to countering the
Delta variant
The Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was first detected in India in late 2020. The Delta variant was named on 31 May 2021 and had spread to over 179 countries by 22 November 2021. The ...
outbreak in Auckland that began in August 2021. He argued that a regional approach would allow Auckland to pursue a suppression approach while the rest of the country could continue with an elimination strategy.
In November 2021, Baker and several fellow University of Otago academics including Dr Lucy Telfar Barnard, Dr Jennifer Summers, and Lesley Gray criticised the
Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) system's requirement that vaccinated travellers be tested as "inconsistent and arbitrary," asserting that they posed a lower risk of contracting COVID-19 than Aucklanders during the Delta variant.
In December 2021, Baker expressed concerns that the Government's new
COVID-19 Protection Framework
The COVID-19 Protection Framework (known colloquially as the traffic light system) was a system used by the New Zealand Government during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand. The three-tier traffic light system used vaccination and community ...
("traffic light system") in and abandonment of internal borders could lead to a rise in cases but added that the infection could be blunted by
vaccination
Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...
efforts and the warmer summer weather. He credited vaccination, contact tracing and the previous Alert Level 3 lockdown with helping to combat the spread of the virus in 2021. In mid-December, Baker advocated that the Government delay its planned reopening of New Zealand's borders in January 2022 to counter the spread of the
SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant
Omicron (B.1.1.529) is a variant of SARS-CoV-2 first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa on 24 November 2021. It was first detected in Botswana and has spread to become the ...
. He also stated that New Zealand was one of the few countries alongside Taiwan, China and some Australian states to have a "robust border quarantine system."
In early January 2022, Baker questioned the effectiveness of the "traffic light system" in dealing with Omicron community outbreaks and has advocated localised lockdowns. He has also expressed support for the Government's moves to lower the waiting period between second vaccines doses and booster shots from six to four months and encouraged the vaccination of children.
In February 2022, Baker expressed concerns that the
Ministry of Health's daily COVID-19 reports underestimated infections within the community since many of the infected took several days to develop symptoms of COVID-19. He also credited the country's "traffic light settings" and contact tracing efforts with slowing the spread of COVID-19 in comparison to overseas.
In early September 2022, Baker advocated scrapping the "traffic light system" in favour of moving the country towards a "more straightforward system." Baker's remarks accompanies reports that the Government was considering abandoning the "traffic light system" when it reviewed New Zealand's COVID-19 settings later in the month.
In mid-October 2022, Baker advocated the reinstatement of a form of the
alert level system after the country reported its first case of the
Omicron
Omicron (; uppercase Ο, lowercase ο, ell, όμικρον) is the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet. This letter is derived from the Phoenician letter ayin: . In classical Greek, omicron represented the close-mid back rounded vowel in contras ...
subvariant BQ.1.1 on 13 October.
In early November 2022, Baker advocated reinstating mask requirements for public transportation and flights to combat rising COVID-19 hospitalisation and death rates caused by the third wave of COVID-19 sweeping through New Zealand in 2022.
Honours and awards
In 2013, Baker was awarded the HRC
Liley Medal for his contribution to the health and medical sciences. He was a joint recipient of the
Shorland Medal in 2019 for his work with the SHIVERS team of influenza researchers.
In the
2021 New Year Honours, Baker was appointed a
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...
, for services to public health science.
Baker received the 2020
Prime Minister's Science Communication Prize, recognising his 2000+ interviews on COVID-19 since January 2020. He was awarded the 2021
Cranwell Medal for science communication by the
New Zealand Association of Scientists
The New Zealand Association of Scientists is an independent association for scientists in New Zealand. It was founded in 1941 as the New Zealand Association of Scientific Workers, and renamed in 1954Gregory, G., 2013. Not to be forgotten: New Ze ...
. In 2022, he was awarded the
Callaghan Medal by the Royal Society Te Apārangi for "science-informed commentary on the Covid-19 pandemic and other major public health issues in Aotearoa New Zealand".
Personal life
Baker lives in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, Wellington, with his family.
Selected publications
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*
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*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
External links
Sciencemediacentre.co.nzat University of Otago
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Michael
University of Otago faculty
New Zealand epidemiologists
New Zealand public health doctors
New Zealand medical researchers
Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit
University of Otago alumni
University of Auckland alumni
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)