Ellen Jo Baron

Ellen Jo Baron is an American academic who is an emerita professor of pathology at Stanford University Medical Center.

In 2005, a species of Prevotella was named Prevotella baroniae in her honor.

Early life and education Baron was born in 1947 in Madison, Wisconsin. She grew up in Mitchell, South Dakota.

In 2009, Baron and Jim McLaughlin co-founded the Diagnostic Microbiology Development Program (DMDP), a non-governmental organization. It developed the Baron Basic Microbiology Flowchart training program and focuses on improving clinical microbiology laboratory services in Cambodia. DMDP operates microbiology laboratories in five Cambodian hospitals and has supported the microbiology laboratory at the National Pediatric Hospital in Phnom Penh. Baron serves as secretary and senior advisor for DMDP.

Baron has served in leadership roles within the American Society for Microbiology and participated in numerous national committees, including those for the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Additionally, she has been involved with several editorial boards and acted as a consultant for organizations such as the World Health Organization and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Research Baron's research has advanced understanding of anaerobic bacteria, including their identification, clinical impact, and susceptibility profiles.