April 09, 2019
Hello,
I had the pleasure of attending a wonderful event this past week—the 26th annual Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal Ceremony.
Dr. Carol Baker, adjunct professor of pediatrics, was honored for her lifetime contributions to pediatric infectious diseases, most notably to the health of pregnant women and their babies through groundbreaking research, outstanding clinical care, education of countless pediatricians and infectious disease specialists, and public health advocacy. Pediatricians and obstetricians associate Dr. Baker’s name as synonymous with Group B Streptococcal (GBS) disease. Early in her career, she described the disease in newborns and then went on to a clinical and laboratory-based research career working to reduce maternal and infant transmission of GBS through intrapartum antimicrobial prophylaxis of pregnant women and working to eliminate the disease through vaccine development. I have known and admired Dr. Baker for many years. We are so fortunate to have Dr. Baker as a colleague.
The ceremony was very special. Dr. Baker’s longtime colleague Dr. Morven Edwards introduced Dr. Baker and presented the medal. In her presentation, she focused on five characteristics that define Dr. Baker: curiosity, courage, tenacity, creativity, and dedication.
Dr. Baker started her remarks by thanking her parents who told her that girls could not be garbage men or firemen, but that girls could be doctors.
Dr. Baker quoted from the Langston Hughes poem, Dreams, “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly………” Mothers and babies throughout the world are so fortunate that Dr. Baker continues to pursue her dream of eliminating the scourge of GBS disease.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Baker for this well-deserved honor.
Warm regards,
Barbara
P.S. The Sabin Gold Medal has personal meaning. Past recipients are a who’s who of infectious diseases and vaccinology—and include my husband, Roger Glass, who received the award in 2015.
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