Dr. Erica Taylor, assistant professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, has been chosen as the DHIP's first Associate Chief Medical Officer for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Dr. Taylor brings to this role a lifetime of experience, passion and a proven track record as a leader for change.
The Selection Committee was led by Dr. Howard Francis, chair, Department of Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Sciences, and Dr. Moira Rynn, chair, Department of Psychiatry, and chose from nearly a dozen outstanding candidates from the Duke provider community.
“My unwavering dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion is not only the result of my own lived experiences as an African-American, female surgeon, wife, mother, leader, mentor, and perpetual learner, but is also inspired by the wonderful teams with which I have engaged during my time at Duke,” Dr. Taylor commented. “I am moved by the overwhelming support the DHIP has given toward the design and execution of strategic diversity efforts, particularly given the central impact the DHIP has on the experiences of its members and employees. I am thrilled to serve in such a dynamic inaugural role that will work towards the culture of belonging and value we all desire.”
This new associate chief medical directorship was established by the DHIP Board of Managers in August to bring physician leadership to important initiatives that impact across the DHIP, its clinics, employees and patients. Dr. Taylor will maintain her clinical practice and spend at least a third of her clinical time in this new role.
“I want to give my profound thanks to Dr. Rynn and Dr. Francis for leading an efficient and thorough recruitment and selection process,” said Dr. John Sampson, DHIP President. “Under Dr. Taylor’s leadership, I am excited about the important and beneficial changes we can implement to enhance the DHIP for everyone.”
In addition to the co-chairs, the Selection Committee included Dr. Kendrick Kennedy, Paul Newman, Kelly Page, Dr. Ann Reed, Levelton Thomas, and Dr. Sarahn Wheeler; with participation by Judy Seidenstein and Dr. Kenny Railey. Thanks also to Sara Holleran and Jennifer Duerr for their support of the Selection Committee.
As with other DHIP Medical Directors, Dr. Taylor will report to Dr. David Attarian, DHIP Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Taylor will begin on December 1, 2020.
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Get to Know Dr. Erica Taylor
Dr. Erica Taylor is an assistant professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. She joined the Duke School of Medicine faculty in 2013 and subspecializes in hand, wrist, and elbow surgery.
She was born and raised in Reston, Virginia, a suburb outside of the Washington, D.C. area. Her mother devoted her life to education in the public school system and her father achieved nationally recognized honors as a record-breaking professional football player and coach in the NFL. Through these influences, she developed a passion for academic careers focused on musculoskeletal care of athletes at a very young age. She went on to achieve her Bachelors of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering Science from the University of Virginia. She obtained her medical degree from the Duke School of Medicine, spending a year of her program at the National Institutes of Health engaged in intramural research. She completed orthopaedic surgical residency training at the University of Virginia where she spent a year performing pivotal research in rotator cuff tissue engineering. She then went on to complete a fellowship in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. She is currently enrolled at the Duke Fuqua School of Business pursuing a Masters of Business Administration.
As a proud member of the Duke Community, she is heavily committed to various aspects of leadership, including her service as the Chief of Surgery and Medical Director of Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke Raleigh Hospital. In 2019, she was elected to the DHIP Board as an At-Large Member. She is the Vice Chair of Diversity and Inclusion for the Department of Orthopaedics, working with colleagues and institutional leaders to develop thoughtful strategy and best practices toward belonging. For over a decade, she has worked closely with pipeline organizations that strive to promote successful pathways into orthopaedic surgery for populations that are under-represented in this field. She was named as the Duke Faculty Recipient of the 2019 Michelle Winn Inclusive Excellence Award, which inspired her to escalate her contributions of time, creativity, and energy to this critical work.
Recently, she has joined several important workgroups that put her skills into practice, including the Fuqua School of Business Racial Equity Workgroup, the Duke University Health System Moment to Movement workgroup on Culture, and the Office of Institutional Equity collaborative efforts in diversity leadership. On a national level, Dr. Taylor is the Executive Board Mentoring Chair for the J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society, a renowned multicultural organization that addresses musculoskeletal health and workforce disparities. In this capacity, she has implemented two signature annual mentorship programs for under-represented in medicine (URiM) medical students and practicing surgeons for the past several years. In addition, she has fostered rewarding collaborations with the other national orthopaedic organizations that strive to make the profession more inclusive.
Outside of Duke and her Hand Surgery practice, Dr. Taylor enjoys spending time with her three beautiful young daughters and her husband Rowland. As a family, they enjoy football games, movies, laughter and appreciate all the wonderful moments that life has to offer.
