Mesa Leventhal Baker
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Mesa Leventhal Baker is a pediatrician and specialist in the treatment of child abuse. She received her undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree from the Pennsylvania State University in 1984, and obtained her Medical Degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1988. Dr. Baker completed her internship and residency training in pediatrics in 1991 with the U.S. Army at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, TX. Dr. Baker served as Assistant Chief and then Chief of the Ambulatory Pediatrics Clinic of the Tripler Army Medical Center until 1995.
During her tour in Hawaii, the military sent Dr. Baker for specialized training in forensic, pediatric, colposcopy exams at the San Diego Children's Hospital in November of 1991. Thereafter she served as the military child abuse examiner for Hawaii and the Southeast Pacific, going as far away as Japan to render expert testimony. She then worked as a general pediatrician and child sexual abuse examiner for Fort Bragg, North Carolina from 1995-1997.
When her husband finished his military obligation in urology, they relocated back to Baltimore, MD. After working in private pediatrics and forensic pediatrics part-time for a year, Dr. Baker became the Medical Director of the Baltimore Child Abuse Center in 1998.
Dr. Baker has been board certified in pediatrics since 1991 and a Fellow of the AAP since 1994. She has held Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatric posts with the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda and the John A. Burns School of Medicine in Honolulu. She is currently an Associate Professor in Pediatrics with the University of Maryland and a Special Consultant in Child Abuse to Sinai Hospital.
Her child abuse caseload averaged one case a week for her 6 years in the military. For the past 6 years at the Baltimore Child Abuse Center, Dr. Baker has seen 600-700 children per year, to reach a total of well over 3000 forensic sexual abuse exams.