Dr. Baca has been an active community member throughout her life. At a very early stage in her career, while volunteering at a high-risk clinic in a gang area in Albuquerque, she developed a great appreciation for how social, environmental and economic issues affect health.
After college, ...
Dr. Baca has been an active community member throughout her life. At a very early stage in her career, while volunteering at a high-risk clinic in a gang area in Albuquerque, she developed a great appreciation for how social, environmental and economic issues affect health.
After college, as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, she started her master’s work in health policy in Venezuela and had the opportunity to work with the United Nations. Upon returning to the U.S., she completed her Master in Public Administration at Harvard Kennedy School of Government and her medical degree at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Baca completed her pediatric training in the Pediatric Leadership for the Underserved (PLUS) program at University of California, San Francisco in 2008. Given her interest in international affairs she has worked in Nigeria, Venezuela, Mozambique, Egypt, Afghanistan, and Honduras.
She is passionate about reducing health disparities and working to improve the environment to build healthy communities. Dr. Baca’s clinical work has reinforced that much of health happens outside of clinics and hospitals. It is actually much broader than that. Job creation, housing support, access to quality education, affordable transportation, and support networks are really the foundation not only for health, but also for society to thrive. In addition to clinical care and teaching, she is working on environmental health policy.