Dr. Taylor was crowned the 2024 Ms. Virginia.
Marquita Taylor, PhD, MPH, MBA, is a pancreatic cancer survivor who uses her “Ms. Virginia” title from the Miss Black USA pageant as a platform to increase awareness about the disease. Her experience with pancreatic cancer and the lack of information about her case, led her to pursue a career in researching cancer disparities, especially among Black women.
Dr. Taylor serves as UVA Cancer Center’s associate director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, focusing on initiatives to build an inclusive and culturally competent workforce. She has led training sessions on patient-provider relations, medical mistrust and unconscious biases. Dr. Taylor emphasizes “no two patients are the same, and it’s important to listen to the patient and not treat people of color as a monolith.”
Dr. Taylor is also an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences. She teaches courses about health equity and researches the cancer experiences and outcomes of Black women. With pancreatic cancer on the rise, Dr. Taylor stresses it’s essential to understand barriers to care such as lack of high-quality medical care, racial and gender biases leading to inadequate treatment, and shortage of Black doctors.
Read the full story in UVA Today.
Filed Under: Community, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Research