Elizabeth Baker, Esq.

Elizabeth Baker, Esq., is the director of research policy for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. She leads the organization’s impactful team of scientists and policy professionals that is dedicated to integrating human-specific approaches and strategies that improve medical research, product testing, and advanced education, while reducing and replacing animal use. 

Elizabeth develops strategies, builds relationships, and leads collaborations with scientists, lawyers, policymakers, and other professionals from a variety of sectors. As a licensed attorney, many of Elizabeth’s efforts focus on supporting scientific innovation by changing the policies and practices that act as barriers to the use of nonanimal approaches.

Since joining the Physicians Committee in 2015, Elizabeth has worked alongside drug development stakeholders - including federal agencies, pharmaceutical companies, academics, technology companies, and patient, research, and health organizations -  to improve the human relevance of nonclinical drug testing in order to expedite the availability of safer, more effective, more affordable medicines that are developed with less animal testing. Elizabeth has identified and led efforts that have resulted in funding, directives and programs to integrate nonanimal approaches. Her diplomatic approach has secured a seat at many important tables. 

In 2018, Elizabeth lobbied with a small but effective team in California to pass the Cruelty-Free Cosmetic Act, marking the first state law to restrict the sale of cosmetics if the final cosmetic product or its ingredients were tested on animals. She continues her work toward a global end to cosmetic animal testing. 

Elizabeth frequently presents at domestic and international scientific and legal conferences. She is frequently interviewed by a variety of media, and has authored numerous manuscripts, regulatory comments, science blogs, and op-eds, including publication in Drug Discovery Today, ALTEX, Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, ATLA, The Hill, STAT, the Food and Drug Law Institute Policy Forum, the North Carolina Central University School of Law Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Law Review, and the Physicians Committee’s Good Science Digest, regarding FDA policy and innovative human-based science for drug development.

Elizabeth is a member of the California Bar Association, the American Society for Cellular and Computational Toxicology, the Society of Toxicology, the European Society for Alternatives to Animal Testing, and the International Microphysiological Systems Society.  

Elizabeth graduated cum laude from California Western School of Law, where she earned honors in the health law and policy concentration and received American Jurisprudence awards for her work in FDA law, bioethics, animal law, and legal research and writing. In 2023, Elizabeth received the Distinguished Alumni Award from California Western School of Law, recognizing her for ethics, creativity, and competence.