Christopher A. Baker graduated with the degree of Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) from Regent University on May 9. Baker grew up in Lewisburg. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with high honors and was awarded the Psychology Student of the Year Award in 2008. Baker initially pursued a Ph.D. in clinical-forensic psychology at the City University of New York/John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan, but later transferred to the clinical psychology Psy.D. program at Regent University in Virginia Beach.
During his tenure there, he engaged in supervised clinical practice at university mental health centers; a state psychiatric hospital; and a private practice. The culmination of Baker’s clinical training was at the Dorn VA Hospital in Columbia, SC, where he continued to develop specialties in primary care psychology and psychological assessment.
Baker was recently accepted into the Clinical Psychology Residency program for the 2015-2016 year at the Hefner VA Hospital in Salisbury, NC. Baker is also a researcher, mostly in the area of psychological assessment, and has presented at regional and national conferences on the topic. He currently has two manuscripts of original research under consideration in peer-reviewed scientific journals; his dissertation examined a widely-used test of psychopathology and personality to determine if the instrument was biased by gender, race, level of education, or age of the patient.
Baker plans to continue to work with veterans throughout his career in both clinical and research capacities, if possible, and perhaps also teach.