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 Dr. Claudia R. Baquet is Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Policy and Planning. She serves as an advocate for quality health care with a focus on research related to the health needs, clinical trials research and models of care for the medically underserved and minority communities. Dr. Baquet has served as Director of the Maryland Area Health Education Center Program (MDAHEC) for 16 years and Director of the Center for Health Policy/Health Services Research, one of four organized research centers at the UMB. In 2007, she became director of the UMB academic Program in Minority Health and Health Disparities Education and Research.
Dr. Baquet was Deputy Assistant Secretary Health (Minority Health) at the US DHHS from 1992-1994. At NIH, she was Associate Director for Cancer Control Science and Chief of the Special Populations Research at the National Cancer Institute. While at NCI, she spent 11/2 years as research and policy fellow in Office of Senator Ted Kennedy. Her research at NCI included intervention trials to address barriers to cancer screening and tobacco use prevention and cessation for multiple racial/ethnic and underserved populations. Her research laid the foundation for the field of cancer health disparities research and clinical trial accrual strategies for African American and rural patients.
In 2004, Dr. Baquet received the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) "National Best Practice Award" for increasing availability and participation of rural communities in cancer clinical trials. This is the only federally recognized clinical trial best practice. This award from the Secretary of HHS and the peer review Committee on Science and Policy recognizes outstanding trial accrual and retention as well as increased availability of cancer trials. Other recognitions include the NIH Director's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Special Award for "Closing the Health Gap in the Communities We Serve", the American Public Health Association's (APHA) 2005 David P. Rall Award for Science and Advocacy in Public Health and Prevention, and the National Medical Association's Council on Concerns for Women Physicians Research Award.
In May 2006, Dr. Baquet received the "Racial Justice Award" from the YWCA of the Greater Baltimore Area, and in November 2006, she received the Congressional Recognition Award from the US Congress (Congressman Steny Hoyer) for her work in health disparities research and community engagement. The Prevent Cancer Foundation's awarded her the prestigious Laurel Award in recognition of her research and community outreach to increase prevention and early detection of cancer nationally in April 2008. She serves on numerous NIH peer review panels. In 2010, The American Cancer Society awarded her the prestigious St. George Award for her contributions to cancer control, policy, research and outreach.
Dr. Baquet received her MD in 1977 from Meharry Medical College (Tennessee) and her MPH in epidemiology in 1983 from Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. Her residency was in Pathology at St. Louis University and Wadsworth Veterans Administration Hospital in California. Her research focus includes: cancer disparities research; strategies for increasing access/participation of diverse communities in clinical trials; policy research on assuring equity and research translation strategies to assure research literacy in disparity communities. She is committed to mentoring students, junior investigators and community health professionals in health disparities research, bioethics and research ethics, community engagement and careers in medicine and public health. Her grant portfolio totals in excess of $78 million since joining the UMSOM faculty from federal, state and foundation sources. She is PI on the National Bioethics Research Infrastructure grant and PI on the Social Determinants of Health Rural Telehealth study funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. (NIH). She often chairs NIH Peer Review and Study Sections. She is a member of the Social, Ethical Issues in Research Study Section at NIH.
In November 2011, she was honored by the MD Governor's Cancer Commission with the Abeloff Award for Excellence in Cancer Research, Public Health and Cancer Control.
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