Linda Baker, M.D.
Director of Pediatric Urology Research
Professor

Download Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Baker is a NIH-funded physician scientist and Board-certified pediatric urologist specializing in the surgical reconstruction and study of complex congenital birth defects of the genitourinary tract. Dr. Baker completed her urology residency at the University of Virginia from 1989-1995 and became an American Foundation for Urological Disease Research Scholar from 1995-1997, studying the molecular basis of renal and genitourinary development. From 1997-1999, she was a Fellow in Pediatric Urology at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution. She joined the Department of Urology at UT Southwestern in 1999 and created a thriving research program in pediatric urology. She became Director of Pediatric Urology Research in 2001 after receiving her first NIH R01 and was promoted to Professor of Urology in 2008. 

Currently, she is the Director of Pediatric Urology Research at UT Southwestern and Children’s Medical Center. She holds secondary faculty appointments in the UT Southwestern McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development/Genetics, the Charles and Jane Pak Center for Mineral Metabolism and Clinical Research, and the Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Genetics and Development Graduate Program.

She has served on numerous NIH study sections, several NIH planning committees, and is active in the American Urological Association Foundation Research Council and the Society for Pediatric Urology Research Advisory Council.

She is reviewer for many journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine. From 2012-2014, she served on the American Urological Association (AUA) Guidelines Panel for Cryptorchidism, co-authoring the treatment guidelines statement.

She has been faculty on several national training courses for laparoscopic or robotic surgery, has authored 120 published abstracts, 20 book chapters, 6 invited review articles, and 97 peer-reviewed publications, has a medical device patent, and has held 18 visiting professorships nationally and internationally.

She is Course Director for the annual international training course webinar, "Vaginoplasty for Birth Defects or Surgical Complications and the Oral Buccal Mucosa Technique."  She has received many awards, most recently including the 2014 John W. Duckett, MD Pediatric Urology Research Excellence Award given by the AUA Urology Care Foundation.

As a board-certified pediatric urologist, she specializes in the surgical reconstruction of complex congenital birth defects of the genitourinary tract, including prune belly syndrome; disorders of sexual development; undescended testes (cryptorchidism); testicular torsion; and congenital female vaginal anomalies.

An NIH-funded investigator, Dr. Baker directs her molecular biology research program spanning basic science, translational and clinical research on pediatric genitourinary diseases and congenital defects. The major goals of this research are to understand the genetic, embryonic and molecular basis of rare and common birth defects including prune belly syndrome, female reproductive anomalies, VACTERL association, hypospadias, anorectal malformations, bladder exstrophy and epispadias, as well as to delineate hormonal and molecular mechanisms mediating cryptorchidism and testicular torsion.

She has strong translational genetic research interest in pediatric urolithiasis. Using genetically engineered mouse models, her research laboratory studies the causes of pediatric urological birth defects. With a personalized medicine approach, her research team recruits individuals with pediatric urological birth defects and disorders and performs cutting edge DNA testing using next generation sequencing technologies to discover the cause of pediatric urological disorders and birth defects, thus achieving bench-to-bedside research.

Dr. Baker lives in Southlake, TX with her husband, Ken, and children Amanda and Andrew.

Medical School

University of Louisville School of Medicine (1989)

Internship

University of Virginia Health System (1991), General Surgery

Residency

University of Virginia Health System (1995), Urology

Fellowship

University of Virginia Health System (1997), Nephrology

Fellowship

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (1999), Pediatric Urology

• Causes of disorders of sexual development
• Causes of hypospadias
• Causes of undescended testes and testicular torsion
• Genetic basis of female reproductive birth defects
• Genetic Basis of Prune Belly Syndrome
• Inherited or familial birth defects of the genitourinary tract
• Pediatric renal stone disease

Featured Publications

Diagnosing Testicular Torsion before Urologic Consultation and Imaging: A Validation of the TWIST Score.

Sheth KR, Keays M, Grimsby GM, Granberg CF, Menon VS, DaJusta DG, Ostrov L, Hill M, Sanchez E, Kuppermann D, Harrison CB, Jacobs MA, Huang R, Burgu B, Hennes H, Schlomer BJ, Baker LA J. Urol. 2016 Jan

A homozygous loss-of-function variant in MYH11 in a case with megacystis-microcolon-intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome.

Gauthier J, Ouled Amar Bencheikh B, Hamdan FF, Harrison SM, Baker LA, Couture F, Thiffault I, Ouazzani R, Samuels ME, Mitchell GA, Rouleau GA, Michaud JL, Soucy JF Eur. J. Hum. Genet. 2014 Nov

The use of autologous buccal mucosa grafts in vaginal reconstruction.

Grimsby GM, Baker LA Curr Urol Rep 2014 Aug 15 8 428

DNA Copy-Number Variations in 46,XY Disorders of Sex Development.

Harrison SM, Granberg CF, Keays M, Grimsby GM, Baker LA J. Urol. 2014 Jun

DNA copy number variations in patients with persistent cloaca.

Harrison SM, Seideman C, Baker LA J. Urol. 2014 May 191 5 Suppl 1543-6

Evaluation and Treatment of Cryptorchidism: AUA Guideline.

Kolon TF, Anthony Herndon CD, Baker LA, Baskin LS, Baxter CG, Cheng EY, Diaz M, Lee PA, Seashore CJ, Tasian GE, Barthold JS J. Urol. 2014 May

Autologous buccal mucosa graft augmentation for foreshortened vagina.

Grimsby GM, Bradshaw K, Baker LA Obstet Gynecol 2014 May 123 5 947-50

An Approach to the Identification of Anomalies and Etiologies in Neonates with Identified or Suspected VACTERL (Vertebral Defects, Anal Atresia, Tracheo-Esophageal Fistula with Esophageal Atresia, Cardiac Anomalies, Renal Anomalies, and Limb Anomalies) Association.

Solomon BD, Baker LA, Bear KA, Cunningham BK, Giampietro PF, Hadigan C, Hadley DW, Harrison S, Levitt MA, Niforatos N, Paul SM, Raggio C, Reutter H, Warren-Mora N J. Pediatr. 2014 Mar 164 3 451-457.e1

Screening and familial characterization of copy-number variations in NR5A1 in 46,XY disorders of sex development and premature ovarian failure.

Harrison SM, Campbell IM, Keays M, Granberg CF, Villanueva C, Tannin G, Zinn AR, Castrillon DH, Shaw CA, Stankiewicz P, Baker LA Am. J. Med. Genet. A 2013 Aug

Pilot feasibility study of transscrotal near infrared spectroscopy in the evaluation of adult acute scrotum.

Burgu B, Aydogdu O, Huang R, Soygur T, Yaman O, Baker L J. Urol. 2013 Jul 190 1 124-9

 Featured Books

Ch. 38, "Robotic Surgery Complications and Safety", pp. 279-289. In Pediatric Robotic and Reconstructive Urology

DaJusta, D. and Baker, L.A. (2012). Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Limited

Ch. 43 Cryptorchidism, pp.563-576. In Pediatric Urology, 2nd edition

Bergu, B., Baker, L.A., and Docimo, S.G. (2010). Philadelphia, W. B. Saunders Company

Exstrophy-Epispadias Complex. In The Kelalis-King-Belman Textbook of Clinical Pediatric Urology

Grady, R and Baker, L.A. (2007). Informa Healthcare

Ch. 94 Laparoscopic Treatment of the Non-palpable Testicle, pp 847-855. In Smith's Textbook of Endourology, 2nd edition

Baker, L.A. and Jordan, G.H. (2006). Hamilton, Ontario, BC Decker, Inc

General Principles of Cystourethroscopy. In In Pediatric Endourology Techniques, 2nd edition

Keays, M and Baker, L.A. (2013). Oxford, England, P. Blackwell Publishing

Bladder and Outlet Injection for Urinary Incontinence. In In Pediatric Endourology Techniques, 2nd edition

Yucel, S and Baker, L.A. (2013). London, England, P. Springer-Verlag London Ltd

Flaps in Hypospadias Surgery. In Hinman's Atlas of Urologic Surgery, 3rd Edition

Prieto, J.C. and Baker, L.A. (2011). Philadelphia, PA, Saunders

Disorders of Sex Development (DSD). In International Consultation on Urological Diseases (ICUD): International Consultation on Congenital Anomalies in Children

Grimsby, GM, LeClair, M-D, Schneck, FX, Lee, PA, Wolffenbuttel, KP, and Baker, LA. (2014). Société Internationale d?Urologie (SIU)

Ch. 14, Laparoscopy and Cryptorchidism, pp 161-176. In Minimally Invasive Approaches to Pediatric Urology

Baker, L.A., Lorenzo, A.J., Jordan, G.H., and Docimo, S.G. (2005). Oxfordshire, OX, UK, Taylor & Francis

• John W. Duckett, MD Pediatric Urology Research Excellence Award
  Awarded by the American Urologic Association Urology Care Foundation (2014)
• America's Top Surgeons
  Consumer's Research Council of America (2012)
• SWIU/SBUR Award for Excellence in Urologic Research
  (2011)
• Top Doctors
  US News & World Report (2011)
• Texas Super Doctors
  Texas Monthly Magazine 2010-2014 (2010)
• 2nd Place Clinical Poster Prize
  European Society for Pediatric Urology (2005)
• Best Pediatric Specialists in Dallas
  D Magazine 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 (2004-2014)
• First Prize Research Award
  Engineering and Urology Society (2004)
• AAP Section of Urology Basic Research Prize Finalist
  (2002)
• Society for Basic Urologic Research/Merck Young Investigator Award
  (2002)

• American Society of Human Genetics (2010)
• Fellow American College of Surgeons (2002)
• Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics, Section on Urology (2001)
• Society for Basic Urological Research (2001)
• Society for Pediatric Urology (2001)
• American Urological Association (1997)
• Society for Fetal Urology (1997)