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Kristen LeBaron was born and raised in Michigan.  Active in her high school, Kristen served as a yearbook editor and a member of the class council, ran track and played tennis on her high school teams, and graduated magna cum laude.  She then attended Michigan State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences with a concentration in microbiology and public health.

Following graduation, Kristen served in the United States Navy.  During her 4-year tenure, she was stationed in Orlando, Chicago, Norfolk, and Puerto Rico.  In addition to her regular duties, she also accepted many collateral duties, serving as a Navy/American Red Cross HIV/AIDS Awareness Instructor, a Total Quality Leadership Facilitator, Hospital Corpsman Job Rating Instructor, and TRICARE Military Health Representative.  She won numerous awards during her time in the military including three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Navy Good Conduct Medal, four Flag Letters of Commendation, three Flag Letters of Appreciation, and 11 Command Letters of Appreciation.

After serving in the military, Kristen attended the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), where she earned her Master of Science in microbiology and immunology.  Kristen's thesis research involved determining the role of cytokines and neurotrophins in the central nervous system following Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus infection.  In performing this research, Kristen worked in a level-three biological containment laboratory.  She also served as a teaching assistant for the Medical Microbiology and Immunology course, instructing medical students in microbiological laboratory procedures, and was appointed as the student representative to the Graduate Education Committee's Subcommittee on Student Recruitment Efforts.  In this capacity, she implemented several recruiting practices that are still in effect today.  Additionally, Kristen played three seasons of hockey on the USUHS "Fighting Docs" hockey team

After receiving her M.S. degree, Kristen accepted a position as Educational Resources Coordinator at the American Society for Microbiology (ASM).  It was in this capacity that she served as production editor for the Microbiology Education Journal (now the Journal for Microbiology & Biology Education), the Focus on Microbiology Education Newsmagazine, and ASM News Educational Reviews.  She also served as production editor and Webmaster for the award-winning MicrobeLibrary Website.  From ASM, she moved to a scientific consulting company where she is an editor/writer on several government contracts, including those for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.  Although she recently relocated to Michigan, she continues to telecommute.

Additionally, Kristen was contracted by Pearson Benjamin Cummings Publishing Company to contribute to the textbook,  Microbiology: Alternate Edition with Diseases by Body System, published in March 2005.  Following her departure as Educational Resources Coordinator, she was retained on contract as a copyeditor by ASM.  She also serves as a freelance editor for University of Phoenix students working on their dissertation proposals.

Kristen has a variety of interests, including fiction writing, website design, hockey, football, and spoiling her miniature schnauzer and yellow Lab puppies.  She is married to a toxicologist, a fellow Michigander whom she met while they were both grad students at USUHS.