Some of the Questions I Asked:

• • • Why did you aspire to become a doctor versus becoming a nurse like your mom and grandmother?
    • Why is awareness so important for women of color in medicine?
    • What are some of the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a doctor and a mother that you find yourself applying today?
    • (Haley) In what ways have your parents influenced you the most?
    • What are your goals today as parents? What's your vision for the kids?
    • What are some tips you've got for parents about informing and educating their children?
    • Were all your children homeschooled from day one?
    • (Haley) What's the most difficult thing to deal with in college at 14 years old?
    • What keeps you motivated to continue pursuing more success for you and your family, even after you’ve all achieved so much?
    • What's one action our aspiring Trailblazers should take this week to blaze their trail?

Dr. Myiesha Taylor

Dr. Myiesha Taylor is a board certified emergency medicine physician specialist and a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Myiesha was born and raised in the Southern California areas of Long Beach and Los Angeles. She graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana with summa cum laude (highest) honors with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry, and subsequently attended the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine obtaining her medical degree (MD).

While at Xavier and USC she earned multiple national awards and was Vice President of the Chemical Honor Society, honors student, gross anatomy tutor and received various scholarships. She is active in community service via Girl Scouts, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America. She has various academic publications and has engaged in extensive toxicological research dating back to her undergraduate years at Xavier University.

Thereafter, she continued her training as an intern and resident at Los Angeles County King Drew Medical Center in South Central Los Angeles, which was a premier training program in the heart of one of the most violent cities in America. She chose emergency medicine as a specialty after the untimely death of her father who was shot and killed during the civil unrest sparked by the Rodney King trial verdict in 1992. At King/Drew Medical Center, she served as Chief Resident her senior year receiving multiple awards, both community-based and academic.

Dr. Taylor has served as Associate Medical Director of Hubert Humphrey Comprehensive Healthcare Center, the largest public urgent care center in Los Angeles. Her work experience also includes working with Kaiser Permanente as Associate Partner, California Emergency Physicians Group as Partner, University of Texas Southwestern (Parkland Memorial Hospital and Children’s Hospital Dallas) as EM faculty and other various community based private practice physician groups.
Throughout her educational experience Dr. Taylor has combined her love of medicine, chemistry and healthy living. She founded and provides medical content to the website CoilyEmbrace.com. She also provides individual patient consultations via Taylored Physician, PA.

In an effort to mentor and support women physicians of color globally, she founded Artemis Medical Society in June of 2012. Currently Dr. Taylor is President of Artemis Medical Society which has over 3700 members with representation in every major American city, and extends to South Africa, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the Caribbean.

Dr. Taylor was nominated and selected as a 2014 Dallas Women’s Foundation Maura Women Helping Women Young Leader Award. The award is given to young leaders who are remarkable trailblazers for the next generation and who are finding ways to drive positive change for women and girls.

Dr. Taylor was also honored in a tribute by Disney when they announced that the mother character in the children’s program Doc McStuffins would be named “Myiesha”. “Myiesha has brought great meaning to what we do. I’m excited for her to get a thank-you for all the inspiration she gives us” said Chris Nee, the show’s creator and producer.

Dr. Taylor has been honored as a Dallas Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, D Magazine Moms Who Inspire, HBCU Digest’s 2013 Most Powerful People and a 2012 Fort Worth Business Press Great Women of Texas Honoree.

Dr. Taylor has spent time in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she and her husband adopted a baby girl, and provided medical care to HIV/AIDS orphans in the city. Additionally, Myiesha is married to William Schlitz and is the mother of three wonderfully talented children.

Haley Taylor Schlitz

Haley Taylor Schlitz is a 14 year old college student majoring in Chemistry, minor in Education, with an ultimate goal of obtaining either a chemistry doctorate or medical degree to pursue a career which promotes health equity through education, advocacy, and scientific research.

Haley's educational journey has taken a unique path landing her in college at thirteen. Haley was born in West Los Angeles, California, and spent her early childhood in both Southern and Northern California in traditional private schools. After moving to North Texas, she was enrolled in public elementary school. It was during her public intermediate school years that it became apparent that she was not designed to acquiesce to the typical academic and intellectual confinements of the public school institution, therefore her parents opted to let her progress at her own rate as a homeschool student.

During her homeschool years, Haley was selected as a Davidson Young Scholar, was admitted into Duke Talent Identification Program, the John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, and The Awesome Math program. She thrived in math and science and placed in the top 25% of young test-takers globally on the American Mathematics Competition 10 earning Achievement Roll status. She is also a medal-winning sabre fencer and was a great asset to her Speech and Debate team. Additionally, as an accomplished orchestral harpist and classical pianist, Haley earned multiple medals and awards during her young music career.

Haley graduated from high-school at age 13, and started her higher education journey at community college where during her first semester she achieved a 3.5 GPA and was invited into Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, Sigma Alpha Pi National Society of Leadership and Success, and Who's Who Among College and University Students.

Haley is always eager to to be of service and does so via multiple organizations of which she is apart: The Rhoer Club of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated; Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated where she has served as Foundation Chair; and Artemis Medical Society as a STEM National Pre-Med Club Initiative Ambassador.

This year Haley was selected by The Representation Project to serve as a Global Youth Advisory Council member for the 2017-2018 class. In this role, she “will have a platform to inspire individuals and communities to create a world free from gender stereotypes and social injustice.” Haley believes that health inequities are not separate from social inequities, and addressing them in concert is essential.

In her limited free time Haley enjoys performing spoken word, spending time with her family, training her puppy, and is a talented artist.

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