2 11 40 3d 3d 40 8 16 35 43 2b8 21 1a e 7a Wesley B. Baker | Department of Neurology | Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania 62 4d 65 48 48 54 4e 52 5f 41 43 52 5b 7e 7a 88 59 55 4e 5f 57 4b 10 13 58 94 88 1e9 9 10e 3c 1f
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Wesley B. Baker, PhD

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Assistant Professor of Neurology
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Department: Neurology
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46 Contact information
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3501 Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104
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18 Publications
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13 Education:
21 7 BS 14 (Physics) c
2c Bucknell University, 2005.
21 8 PhD 14 (Physics) c
33 University of Pennsylvania, 2015.
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1f Post-Graduate Training
24 63 Postdoc in Anesthesiology & Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania, 2015-2017.
24 63 Research Associate in Neurology , Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2017-2020.
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Description of Research Expertise

4fd I am a physicist with specialization in optics in biological tissues. In 2015, I received my PhD in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania under the supervision of Arjun Yodh. I then completed a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship mentored by W. Andrew Kofke in the department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Emergent themes from my previous work include (1) studying ischemic pathophysiology with diffuse optics, (2) formulating new analytical models/paradigms to improve the fidelity of cerebral hemodynamic data based on optical signals, and (3) devising new clinical applications for diffuse optics, such as non-invasive monitoring of cerebral perfusion pressure. As a researcher in biomedical optics, I aim to develop optical tools for clinical use. Broadly, I envision designing clinical research that furthers the prognostic utility of optical tools in the treatment of acute brain injury. I also envision harnessing cerebral hemodynamic data from optical measurements in human patients and pre-clinical animal models to illuminate etiologies of neurological injuries/disorders with the hope of establishing novel therapies (e.g., ischemic stroke, hydrocephalus).
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Selected Publications

112 Ranieri NR, Forti RM, Baker WB, Nicolson SC, Lynch JM: Monitoring Cerebral Oxygenation During Neonatal Cardiac Surgery: Limitations of Conventional NIRS. Paediatric Anaesthesia Page: 70183, April 2026.

1a2 Lewis A, Forti RM, Ko TS, Greenwood JC, Kelly M, Shofer FS, Kao SH, Shin SS, Bungatavula D, Mason M, Starr J, Ehinger JK, Kilbaugh TJ, Yodh AG, Jang DH, Baker WB: Dose-dependent cerebral metabolic impairment in a swine model of carbon monoxide poisoning. Neurotoxicology 114: 103454, April 2026 Notes: Baker WB and Jang DH are co-senior authors.

175 Winston CN, Bowe ME, Lee S, Ranieri NR, Ades A, Gebb J, Rychik J, Naim MY, Bostwick A, Forti RM, Ko TS, Foglia EE, Baker WB, Lynch JM: Noninvasive optical monitoring of cerebral hemodynamics immediately after birth in neonates with congenital heart disease. Resuscitation Plus 28: 101272, March 2026.

1d6 Silva LEV, Gaudio HA, Padmanabhan B, Forti RM, Shi L, Mason M, Sueishi T, Kirschen MP, Baker WB, Kilbaugh TJ, Morgan RW, Tsui FR, Ko TS: Machine Learning-Based Return of Spontaneous Circulation Prediction During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in a Swine Model of Cardiac Arrest: Effect of Data Resolution and Multimodal Physiological Waveforms. Critical Care Medicine 54(2): 257-269, February 2026.

14a Lewis A, Forti RM, Ko TS, Elmer E, McManus MJ, Yodh AG, Kilbaugh TJ, Baker WB: Optical and microdialysis monitoring of succinate prodrug treatment in a rotenone-induced model of mitochondrial dysfunction in swine. Metabolites 16(65): 16010065, January 2026.

186 Majeski JB, Forti RM, Chong SH, Aparanji S, Zhao M, Abramson K, Ramachandran NR, Srinivasan VJ, Baker WB, Yodh AG: Comparison of diffuse correlation spectroscopy, interferometric diffusing wave spectroscopy, and speckle contrast optical spectroscopy for blood flow monitoring. Neurophotonics 12(3): 035005, July 2025.

17e Baker WB, Forti RM, Ranieri N, Hurlock AM, Goto R, Anderson D, Lynch JM, Lang S, Flanders TM, Heuer G, Ko TS, White BR: Low Frequency Power in Cerebral Blood Flow Detects Impaired Oxygen Metabolism in Neonatal Hydrocephalus. SPIE Photonics West: Clinical and Translational Neurophotonics Page: 13302-21, 2025.

1ca Rosenthal ZP, Majeski JB, Somarowthu A, Quinn DK, Lindquist BE, Putt ME, Karaj A, Favilla CG, Baker WB, Hosseini G, Rodriguez JP, Cristancho MA, Sheline YI, William Shuttleworth C, Abbott CC, Yodh AG, Goldberg EM. Nat Commun. 2025 May 18;16(1):4619. : Electroconvulsive therapy generates a postictal wave of spreading depolarization in mice and humans. Nat Commun. 18(16): 4619, 2025.

191 Andersen KN, Yao S, White BR, Jacobwitz M, Breimann J, Jahnavi J, Schmidt A, Baker WB, Ko TS, Gaynor JW, Vossough A, Xiao R, Licht DJ, Shih EK.: Cerebral Microhemorrhages in Children With Congenital Heart Disease: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Association With Neurodevelopmental Outcomes. J Am Heart Assoc 14(3): e035359, 2025.

1a0 Ko TS, Greenwood JC, Morgan RW, Abella BS, Shofer FS, Mason M, Weintraub D, Bungatavula D, Lewis A, Ranieri NR, Yodh AG, Baker WB, Forti RM, Kao SH, Shin SS, Kilbaugh TJ, Jang DH: Attenuation of mitochondrial dysfunction in a ventricular fibrillation swine model of cardiac arrest treated with carbon monoxide. Resuscitation 213: 110647, 2025.

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