Michelle Taylor

Michelle Taylor (born ) is an American pediatrician and public health official currently serving as the commissioner for the Baltimore City Health Department since 2025. Her career has focused on public health policy, maternal and child health, and addressing health inequities. She was director of the Shelby County, Tennessee Health Department from 2021 to 2025. Taylor is a colonel and flight surgeon in the Tennessee Air National Guard.

Early life and education Taylor was born in North Dakota. Her mother, Rita Works, became the first Black female officer in her Air National Guard squadron while her father worked as an IT executive and became the first Black executive at his firm. After graduating, she spent a year teaching science at Fairley High School in Memphis, her mother's alma mater. She earned a M.S. in Epidemiology from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, a D.P.H. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2015 and a M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2018.

Career

Early career and military service After medical school, Taylor worked as a pediatrician in Memphis.

Shelby County health director Taylor returned to Memphis in 2021 after being appointed director of the Shelby County Health Department. In her role, Taylor is tasked with shaping the city's health policies, addressing health disparities, and leading the response to the opioid epidemic. She has pledged to create a behavioral health division and set a goal to reduce opioid overdose deaths by 40% by 2040. She also plans to bring "community care fairs" to Baltimore, a model she used in Memphis to provide a wide range of health services directly to neighborhoods with high rates of HIV and other health challenges.

Personal life Taylor was previously married to a radiologist. She has a son and daughter. She is a breast cancer survivor, having been diagnosed in 2016 and undergoing a double mastectomy. Her mother is also a breast cancer survivor. Taylor has stated that her personal experience with cancer crystallized her commitment to addressing health inequities and improving patient advocacy. She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.