Tracie R. Baker DVM, Ph.D.

Dr. Tracie Baker DVM, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental and Global Health at the University of Florida. Tracie and her researchers work on micro and nano plastics using the zebrafish model to evaluate how and where plastics accumulate in the body and the potential health effects. She and her team are also collecting water samples in different parts of Florida to quantify PFAS, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products contaminating the state's waters. She will serve as the lead scientist on the Willoughby Expedition.

Her research focuses on multidisciplinary, translational research that seeks to bridge and improve human, animal, and environmental health. Her research goal is to provide critical insights into developmentally-based and transgenerational, environmentally-induced diseases with primary emphasis on endocrine disrupting compounds and contaminants of emerging concern, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. In 2019, she shared insights from her research at TEDxDetroit.

Tracie’s interest in all things aquatic started at a young age – she has been swimming competitively since she was five years old. She received a swimming scholarship to attend Cleveland State University, where she became an NCAA Division I Academic All-America athlete while majoring in biology and chemistry. She earned a Master’s from The University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she researched harmful algal blooms. She then moved to the University of Wisconsin – Madison to complete her doctorate in veterinary medicine with a focus on fish and aquatic animal health, as well as her Ph.D. in environmental and molecular toxicology.

Over the years, Tracie has completed 4 Ironman triathlons and has swum the Ironman championship course in Kona, Hawaii, just for fun more than once! She has competed in countless open water swim races, notably in 4 of the 5 Great Lakes, including Lake Superior. She has also finished over 20 marathons. She enjoys backpacking and kayaking with some of her favorite trips in Alaska, the Boundary Waters, Isle Royale, and the Apostle Islands - and a 24-hour adventure race in Chicago that included canoeing, swimming, biking, rollerblading, running, orienteering, scootering, and climbing the stairs to the top of the 108-story Willis Tower.

Tracie’s dad, Glenn, was a Marine, so she has been learning outdoor survival skills for her entire life. Her involvement in the Willoughby Expedition is not only about science and adventure but also in honor of him. He passed in 2020 after a courageous 3-year battle with pancreatic cancer.