Pharmacy practice professor earns first President’s Early Career Award

Dr. Carrie Baker, a clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Campbell University, has been named the first recipient of the President's Early Career Award.

The award, established by Dr. William M. Downs in his first year as Campbell president, recognizes and rewards assistant professors "whose productivity in scholarship, creative discovery and instruction are of such high quality and impact that it exceeds expectations."

Baker began her career at Campbell in 2021, and in the last four years she has maintained a practice site at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, where she serves as a clinical specialist in adult internal medicine and anticoagulation stewardship, and precepts Internal Medicine I & II and Advanced Hospital APPE rotations along with multiple residency rotations. Her research interests include scholarship of teaching and learning and cardiology.

Baker is a two-time graduate of Campbell University, earning her MBA and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees in 2019. She received her undergraduate degree in pre-pharmacy from the University of Pittsburgh in 2015.

Her nominator wrote of Baker's first four years at Campbell: "In every facet of her career, Dr. Baker exemplifies the characteristics this award seeks to recognize in early-career faculty, including scholarly productivity, creative innovation, instructional excellence and service contributions that significantly exceed expectations.

"She is an extraordinary educator, scholar, clinician and colleague whose impact is already felt locally, regionally and nationally. She is the epitome of the promising future of faculty excellence at Campbell University."

As a recipient of the first President's Early Career Award, Baker will be recognized in the spring at a special reception and acknowledged at a future meeting of the University's Board of Trustees. The President's Office will also provide her with an additional professional development allocation of $1,000 for use in 2026.

"I'm truly impressed by all that Dr. Baker has achieved in her fast start as a faculty member at Campbell," praised Downs. "She's clearly a rising star, and I'm delighted that we can highlight her trajectory through this new award."

Baker said she was honored to receive the award and appreciative of the recognition.

"My contributions and ability to educate and practice to the full extent of my abilities within pharmacy wouldn't be possible without my amazing colleagues and support from the leadership of the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences," she said.