Baird completed a bachelor of arts in biology, Phi Beta Kappa, at Macalester College in 1968.

From 1981 to 1982, Baird was a staff associate for biological sciences curriculum study in Boulder, Colorado.

In 1983, she was a graduate teaching assistant in the department of epidemiology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

[1] Baird's post-doctoral work at the University of North Carolina provided the opportunity for train in reproductive epidemiology.

[1] Baird joined the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in 1984 as a senior staff fellow.

[3] In addition to research in specific content areas, she is interested in developing new methodologies including techniques for data collection and analysis.