Marlene Taylor: Leading the Charge for Healthcare Equality and Inspiring Tomorrow’s Healthcare Leaders
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Marlene Taylor with Her Mother, Her Inspiration
Marlene is a primary care Physician Associate with over 30 years of experience in treating HIV and hepatitis. Starting in the late 90s, as the HIV pandemic impacted countless lives, she became one of the top HIV providers in Harlem as she worked at the Special Services Clinic of North General Hospital. Following this, Marlene provided long-term treatment for more than 300 patients while being on staff at the Infectious Disease Clinic at Montefiore Medical Center for over 15 years.
Marlene Taylor, a beloved healthcare worker focusing on underserved communities, found all the inspiration she needed for her current career path in the story of her life. Born in Philadelphia, Marlene moved to and grew up in central Harlem, New York City, where she attended an all-girls catholic high school. As a student in Harlem, Marlene would frequently accompany her unwell mother to doctor appointments and sometimes the emergency room. Even at ten years old, she noticed the absence of doctors that resembled her and that her mother’s illnesses just “didn’t seem to be […] addressed in a timely fashion.” At this young age, Marlene realized that she wished to pursue a career where she could help people and address the inaccessibility of healthcare. Heeding her mother’s emphasis on the value of education, Marlene graduated from Fordham University as the only African American female biology major in her class. She did not stop pursuing her educational goals there, as she completed a post-baccalaureate program at Columbia University and a graduate program in cell biology and anatomy at New York Medical College. Knowing she wanted to treat her home community, she completed her medical education at the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education Harlem Hospital/CCNY PA Program.
Mrs. Taylor completing a minor surgical procedure
Between her clinical duties, Marlene also had the opportunity to work as a clinical scientist in virology at Abbott Laboratories in 2004. This research experience empowered her with additional tools to treat patients in the underserved communities of New York City.
Since 2019, Marlene has been the HIV program’s supervisor at Harlem’s William F. Ryan Health Center – where their central doctrine accentuates that healthcare is a human right and not a privilege. Throughout her career, Marlene has worked with communities that significantly lack access to proper health care, and unfortunately, she has witnessed many of these people suffer. Communities of color face pronounced disparities in HIV care, as many patients do not know that they are either positive or at risk for infection. Additionally, conditions such as hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and asthma go completely unnoticed and worsen as a result of being untreated.
If someone has insurance and lives a certain lifestyle, more middle class, maybe they know that they have to have an annual physical every year and they would know in advance if they are anemic or whether or not they had been exposed to an STD because all of those things are part of an annual exam. Unfortunately, in communities of color, or when people don’t have insurance or don’t even have access to a private primary care provider, they show up when it’s too late.
Nevertheless, Marlene challenges the system one patient at a time. For example, one of her patients came to her clinic for a physical after losing 20 pounds within just one month. With a new diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, this patient urgently needed to see an endocrinologist for treatment. Using her connections as a primary care medical provider, Marlene advocated and fought for her patient to be seen by an endocrinologist as soon as possible, rather than four months later. In another instance, Marlene was seeing a new patient who needed some medical forms filled out for work. During this visit, she was shocked to find that this patient had an extremely high blood sugar level of 501 mg/dL (extreme danger of dying from diabetic ketoacidosis) and urged her to go to the emergency room immediately. Seeing how unaware her patient was of their life-threatening condition, Marlene wondered what medical care, if any, this patient received before coming to her clinic. Afterward, she educated the patient on how to manage her blood sugar and stayed in touch for follow-up checks. Having such an underserved patient population, Marlene invites students and interns to shadow her to show them the small ways in which she tackles the broken healthcare system. She aims to empower these aspiring young healthcare workers to use their voices to advocate for themselves and especially their patients.
Outside of her clinical duties, Marlene is also a health educator and a community fair volunteer for her clinic’s National Black AIDS Awareness Day—in which Marlene and other staff perform free HIV tests and educate the surrounding Harlem community about the protection, detection, and treatment of the virus. Additionally, Marlene, as the clinic’s HIV expert, gives public talks about safety, prevention, and treatment in many neighborhoods in New York City.
Additionally, she helps host the Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal Annual Health and Wellness Street Fair. This community health event aims to educate and screen for diseases disproportionately impacting people of color. In addition, several community-based organizations (such as Heritage Health Clinic and Housing Inc.), local NYPD precincts, the FDNY, and educational initiatives participate in the annual fair. Marlene also invites students (ranging from high school to graduate school students) to this event to shadow her as she educates community members about chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Plus, the fair allows students to network with each other and healthcare professionals.
Health and Wellness Street event hosted by Marlene and her team on June 25, 2022
Inspired by her mother, Evelyn Taylor, and Ms. Marian Moses, a female African American healthcare icon, Marlene co-founded the Taylor-Moses Institute for Health Professions in 2015. As this organization provides support, opportunities, and advice unimaginable beforehand to these students, Marlene aims to help usher in the next generation of the healthcare workforce that is capable of tackling health disparities (especially those faced by communities of color). In collaboration with the nonprofit Coalition for Positive Health Empowerment, Marlene selects recipients for the annual Taylor–Moses Institute for Health Professions Student Scholarship. Students who have been accepted into a health professions school (nursing, physician assistant, pharmacy, or medical school) are awarded this scholarship for their outstanding academic achievement and involvement in her organization. Plus, the award night presents a valuable networking opportunity for the next generation of health professionals. The 8th annual Scholarship & Awards Gala was held on January 25, 2024, where our outreach lead of Humanitarian Voices, Fatoumata Sow, was awarded a scholarship!
Marlene with her beloved family and colleagues at the Scholarship & Awards Gala on Jan 25, 2024
Marlene and Fatoumata, Humanitarian Voices outreach lead and scholarship recipient
Marlene notes that the United States has historically been under controversy proven by investigations such as the Tuskegee experiment where “patients were treated poorly, differently, and unjustly because of the color of their skin.” Instead of just acknowledging and putting such evidence in the past, Marlene believes everyone should heed this information and work to make healthcare a right, not a privilege. Even in 2024, “the data still shows we continue to be disproportionately impacted by [afflictions] causing organ damage such as strokes, heart attacks, and susceptibility to COVID–related illnesses.” There is a strong need for significant change in the healthcare system, and Marlene is ready to continue supporting the newest generation of healthcare professionals to help them tackle this large task.