Deborah Jean Baker

Baker, an administrator of nursing at the Johns Hopkins Health System, The Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing was born in Annapolis. She received her B.A. in psychology from Towson University in 1990, her B.S. in 1992, her M.S. in 1997, her Post Master’s certificate in 2001 and her Ph.D. in 2011, all in nursing from The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

Baker began her professional career as a clinical nurse in surgery from 1992 to 1995 and then in psychiatry from 1995 to 1997 at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.  From 1997 to 2004, she served as an acute care nurse practitioner in General Surgery and Trauma in the department of surgery.  In addition, she served as a nurse practitioner in the General Surgery and surgical oncology service and as an acute care nurse practitioner in the department of surgery from 1997 to 2014.  In 1999, she became a clinical instructor in acute and primary care nurse practitioner program at the Johns Hopkins University School of nursing and held this position until 2007.  Baker was named advance practice manger in the department of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2003 and Assistant Director of Nursing in 2005. She was named Co-Director of the Postgraduate Surgical Physician Assistant Residency Program in the department in 2005 and Director of Nursing 2008. Baker was named Interim Vice President for Nursing and Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing officer for the Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2015.   In 2016, the position was made permanent and she served in this capacity until 2025.  She was named Senior Vice-President for Nursing by the Johns Hopkins Health System in 2016 and Associated Dean for Health Systems Partnership and Innovation Faculty Joint Appointment by the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in 2017.

Baker has published 18 articles and book chapters.  In addition, she has won numerous awards during her time at Hopkins including the Heritage Award, and the Emma Beckwith Cullen Award for Outstanding Leadership and Executive Ability from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, In 2011, she was the inaugural winner of the Deborah J. Baker Surgical Residency Award Midlevel Practitioner Excellence in Collaboration. She served in many officer positions in the Nurse Practitioner Association of Maryland from 1997-2001 and has been a member of the American Nurses Association and the American College of Nurse Practitioners. Over the course of her career she has also served on numerous committees at Hopkins including The Johns Hopkins Home Care Group Board of Trustees, the Johns Hopkins Hospital Patient Family Advisory Executive Committee, the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Advisory Board and the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Alumni Association.