Dr. Baal earned his medical degree and completed his diagnostic radiology residency at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he also served as an NIH T32 research fellow. He completed a fellowship in musculoskeletal imaging at UCSF and subsequently joined NOIA as a staff radiologist. He has authored peer-reviewed publications and presented his work at national and international conferences. His contributions have been recognized with honors including the SNMMI Walter Wolfe Young Investigator Award, the UCSF Margulis Society Outstanding Resident Researcher Award, and the Society of Skeletal Radiology Scholar Award.