Ayana Taylor, MD

Ayana Taylor is a PGY3 Physical Medicine and Rehab (PM&R) resident, serving as a board member of the MHO Community Investment and Recruitment (CIR) Committee. 

Growing up in Los Angeles, CA, she was always interested in performance. Basketball, track, hip hop, step, synchronized swimming; every physical activity was a chance to perform. That interest followed her to college, where she graduated from Howard University with a degree in Sports Medicine/Human Performance. College is where she first discovered how a love for activity and fascination with the body could be married into a field of study. It's also where she learned the phrase "social determinants of health", which sparked her desire to address healthcare disparities in her future career.

Her medical degree comes from McGovern Medical School in Houston, TX. With no medical precedent in her family, that first year was a challenge. It was hard to focus while simultaneously googling the definitions of medical jargon, like "ambulation" and "edema". Eventually, she got some direction, met great mentors, and was introduced to PM&R as a path to pursue sports medicine.

She's excited to be part of the CIR committee because she's passionate about mentorship and encouraging other minority students in the same way she needed for every step of her journey. Anything that helps diversify the medical field makes a step toward improved health outcomes for minority communities, which is always her goal. 

True to form, when she's not mentoring, she's doing some sort of activity. Most recently it's been pickleball. She might be hooked.