HFC Welcomes Dr. Cristina Bailey, Director of Academic Services

Even during the decade when she was a practicing physician, Dr. Cristina Bailey remained a teacher at heart.

“I’ve always been a teacher. I was a teaching assistant in medical school. I taught head and neck anatomy to dental students. I continue to teach, and I will always teach – in and out of the classroom,” said Bailey, of Canton, a fourth-generation educator.

Bailey's transition from medicine to higher education felt like a natural evolution of her career.

“The concept of spending two years in school and getting an associate degree – in nursing or a trade, for example – and then being able to enter the workforce is fascinating to me,” said Bailey. “I fell in love with the idea of higher education.”

Medicine, yoga, academics, languages

Bailey earned her bachelor's degree in premed and biology and her M.D. at the National University of the Northeast (UNNE) in her native Argentina. She completed her residency in general surgery and oncology at Vidal University in Argentina. Bailey also has a master's degree in exercise physiology from Eastern Michigan University (EMU) in Ypsilanti. She is a registered clinical physiologist and a certified yoga teacher. She speaks fluent Spanish and English, as well as conversational German and French.

After emigrating to the United States in the late 1990s and raising her three children, Bailey taught anatomy and physiology at EMU and Baker College. She became a full-time faculty member at Baker in 2011. She rose in the ranks, becoming the dean of health sciences and, later, the director of academics.

She has found a way to balance her dual career paths, though her current focus is squarely on academics. “I fell in love with medicine," she says. "I also fell in love with teaching college students.”

A serious advocate for students

In January 2019, Bailey joined HFC as the new Director of Academic Services, a position that was vacant for several months. She reports to Dr. Michael Nealon, Vice President of Academic Affairs.

“Cristina Bailey is an excellent addition to HFC. She brings a unique perspective on higher education, given her diverse background as a physician," said Nealon. Her experience, coupled with her passion for higher education, makes her an invaluable asset to our team. I look forward to working with her to move the College forward.”

Bailey’s duties in her new position include creating articulation arguments with other colleges and universities for both in-person and online programs. She is responsible for maintaining and updating the College catalog, including the introduction of new programs. She will collaborate with the four HFC academic deans on varied academic initiatives. Bailey would also like to teach anatomy and physiology at HFC, as time permits.

“I am a serious advocate for students. I always have been,” she said. “HFC gives many amazing opportunities to students to prepare them for the workforce. I share Dr. Nealon’s vision to make HFC a college that is nationally recognized for the quality of its programs. I believe we will achieve that vision.”