Dan Baker, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Pediatrics in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Dr. Baker's focus at The Boggs Center is on positive behavior support, models of community and educational support, transition services, and mental health services for persons with disabilities.

Dr. Baker earned his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology in 1992 and a Teaching License in 1990 from the University of Minnesota. He has worked with people with a range of disabilities; his applied work includes efforts in schools, residential settings for people with disabilities, recreational program, and employment supports.

Prior to coming to New Jersey, he taught classes in Special Education and School Psychology at the University of Oregon's College of Education for 11 years. In Oregon he served on many volunteer boards and received the award of Board Member of the Year in 2003. In 2001-2002, he was a contractor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, teaching positive behavior support strategies to care providers and educators.

Dr. Baker is well published in both edited books and literary journals. Most of his published work addresses strategies for teaching direct care staff to work with persons who present challenges. His training efforts earned him the 2001 Award for Excellence in Community Support from the Institute on Dual Diagnosis. Dr. Baker is a reviewer for the journals Mental Retardation and Research in Developmental Disabilities.