Kate Baker, PhD
Research Professor of Psychology
Education & Affiliations
Research
Dr. Baker's research interests focus on behavioral management, social housing, the human-animal interface and animal welfare, treatment for abnormal behavior, and infant development. She also collaborates with TNPRC, Tulane, and other investigators to supplies expertise for research pertaining to diverse disease models.
Research on social housing has shown that it is the most efficacious behavioral management technique, one of the most challenging and time-consuming to implement, and has the potential to negatively impact ongoing biomedical research. There is a premium on reducing risks to animals and protocol disruption due to aggression.
Dr. Baker's work is critical for harmonizing behavioral management and biomedical research, and improving the primate resource. Another area of research involves studies that integrate behavioral, physiological, clinical, and pharmacological perspectives, capitalizing on the synergy between fields to optimize care. She also studies infant rearing and how rearing affects long-term development, and evaluates nursery practices toward both breeding colony and research aims. In addition to short-term intensive study of neonates and infants, she has been able to follow cohorts of infants from birth to full adulthood, allowing her to detect the very long-term effects of rearing, an area that is sparsely represented in the literature.
Contributions
Key Presentations
Baker, K.C. 2021. Improving the social management of rhesus macaque through pharmacological means. Massachusetts Society for Medical Research Annual Laboratory Animal Enrichment Symposium.
Baker, K.C. 2017. The effect of caretakers on nonhuman primate welfare. American Association for Laboratory Primates national meeting. Austin, TX.
Baker, K.C. 2017. Trends in Behavior Management Practices for Nonhuman Primates in the United States. Charles River Short Course, Las Vegas, NV
Baker, K.C. 2017. Behavioral Management Programs for Nonhuman Primates. PRIM&R Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Baker, K.C. 2017. IACUCs and Behavioral Management Programs: Harmonizing behavioral management and research
Baker, K.C. 2017 Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Select Publications
Pomerantz O, Baker KC, Bellanca RU, Bloomsmith MA, Coleman K, Hutchinson EK, Pierre PJ, Weed JL. 2022. Improving transparency - A call to include social housing information in biomedical research articles involving nonhuman primates. Am J Primatol. 84(6):e23378. doi: 10.1002/ajp.23378. Epub 2022 Apr 1. PubMed PMID: 35365857; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9271600.
Kezar, S. M., Baker, K. C., Russell-Lodrigue, K. E., Bohm, R. P. (2022). Single-dose diazepam administration improves pairing success of unfamiliar adult male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, https://doi.org/10.30802/AALAS-JAALAS-21-000059
Baker, K.C. 2020. Cage position and response to humans in singly-housed rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 59: 503-507. PMID: 32553049
Pahar, B., Baker, K.C., Jay, A.N., Russell-Lodrigue, K.E., Srivastav, S. K., Aye, P.P., Blanchard, J.L., Bohm, R.P. 2020. Effects of social housing changes on immunity and vaccine specific immune responses in adolescent male rhesus macaques. Frontiers in Immunology 11:565746. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.565746
Rudhe, A.A., Baker, K.C., Russell-Lodrigue, K.E., Blanchard, J.L., Bohm, RP. 2020. Trio housing of adult male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): Methodology and outcome predictors. Journal of Medical Primatology 49:188-201. DOI: 10.1111/jmp.1269. PMID: 32285485
Maness, N.J., Schouest, B., Singapuri, A., Dennis, M., Gilbert, M.H., Bohm, R.P., Schiro, F., Aye, P.P., Baker, K., Van Rompay, K.K. and Lackner, A.A., 2019. Postnatal Zika virus infection of nonhuman primate infants born to mothers infected with homologous Brazilian Zika virus. Scientific Reports, 9: 12802. PMID:31488856; PMCID:6728326
Pomerantz, O., Baker, K. 2017. Higher levels of submissive behaviors at the onset of the pairing process of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) are associated with lower risk of wounding after introduction. American Journal of Primatology. DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22671. PMID: 28431190; PMCID: PMC5513769
Baker, K.C. 2016. Survey of 2014 behavioral management programs for laboratory primates in the United States. American Journal of Primatology 78:780-796. PMID: 26971575. PMCID: PMC4914436.
Baker, K.C., Bloomsmith, M.A., Oettinger, B., Neu, K., Griffis, C., Schoof, V. 2014. Comparing options for pair housing rhesus macaques using behavioral welfare measures. American Journal of Primatology 76:30–42. PMID:24105901, PMCID: PMC4307811
Baker, K.C., Bloomsmith, M.A., Oettinger, B., Neu, K., Griffis, C., Schoof, V., Maloney, M. 2012. Benefits of pair housing are consistent across a diverse population of rhesus macaques. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 137:148-156. PMCID: PMC4307811
Baker, K.C., Crockett, C.M., Lee, G.H., Oettinger, B.C., Schoof, V., Thom, J.P. 2012. Pair housing for caged female longtailed and rhesus macaques: Behavior in protected contact versus full contact. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 15:126-143. PMID:22458874, PMCID: PMC3994748
Baker, K., Bloomsmith, M., Neu, K., Griffis, C., Maloney, M. 2010. Positive reinforcement training as enrichment for singly-housed rhesus macaques. Animal Welfare19: 307-313. PMCID: PMC2863313
