BOSTON (September 24, 2024) – Doc Wayne Youth Services (“Doc Wayne”), a nonprofit innovator and provider of sport-based mental health therapy for youth, is pleased to announce that Christina Wood Baker, Ph.D., has joined the organization’s Board.
Christina is a clinical health psychologist in private practice who specializes in eating and weight disorders, and anxiety, working primarily with adolescents, young adults, athletes and parents. She is also a consultant to Curavit Clinical Research in Boston. Previously, Christina worked at the MGH Weight Center and the MGH Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program conducting research and treating clients, and was a consultant to senior staff and program directors at Walden Behavioral Care providing empirically-based guidance on program development and the integration of goal-setting and assessment into treatment.
“With Christina’s multilayered expertise as a psychologist and educator in the field of psychiatry, coupled with studying social enterprise on nonprofit board governance and impact measurement at the Harvard Business School, she is distinctly positioned to enrich the Board and impact the organization’s advancement,” commented Board Chair Shalini Kasida.
Christina has volunteered for years with multiple local organizations focused on Boston youth, community development and food insecurity. Most recently, she was the President of the Board of Directors at Community Rowing, Inc. (CRI) whose mission is to make rowing accessible to individuals from all backgrounds and to have CRI feel like a home for everyone, defined by a sense of belonging and respect. Christina began rowing at CRI in 2017 when her daughter was rowing on the competitive youth team, and later became a rowing coach there for both youth and adults.
“I am truly honored to join the Doc Wayne Board of Directors,” Christina said. “When I learned about the mission of Doc Wayne and their innovative approach to delivering empirically-based therapy skills through the lens of sports, I knew I wanted to learn more and get involved.” She continued, “I am a psychologist and an athlete and have a passion for nonprofit board governance, so it seemed like an excellent match for both my interests and my skills. The need for accessible and relatable mental health services is extraordinary, and I am excited to support an organization that is working to increase access and to offer creative solutions.”
Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Christina holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and a M.S., M.Phil, in Clinical Psychology from Yale University, and a B.A. in Psychology from Brown University. Her academic appointments include a Clinical and Research Fellow in Psychiatry and an Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a Visiting Scholar, Psychiatry at Stanford University, and an Instructor for the MGH Psychiatry Resident Training Program.
Christina joins the Doc Wayne Board as the organization celebrates its milestone of reaching over one million youth in 32 countries, including 2,880 served weekly throughout Greater Boston. And more than 1,700 coaches, teachers, clinicians and youth development professionals around the world have received trauma-informed, sport-based training through its Champion’s Network® training programs.
Among the many supporting Doc Wayne are ESPN, Inc., Boston Children’s Hospital, CVS, Liberty Mutual, Unilever/Degree Deodorant, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, The Charles Hayden Foundation, NBCUniversal, Wellington Management, WCVB, and Loomis Sayles.
About Doc Wayne Youth Services
Doc Wayne is an innovator and provider of sport-based mental health therapy for youth. We provide services, tools and training that address emotional, behavioral, traumatic, racial, gender, and cultural-based barriers by providing equitable access to better mental health for all. Our clinician-led curricula puts sport into practice; programs are held in a gym or on a field at schools, community centers and in clinical settings. The approach fosters openness and trust that enables healing, the development of life skills and learning teamwork, with the benefits of physical activity. Strengthening the social-emotional skills in young learners helps to build healthier, more resilient global communities. Doc Wayne, headquartered in Boston with an office in Allston, MA, also has a growing team worldwide.
Contact:
Heidi Boie
heidi@goodwin-consulting.com
508-846-5307