Dr. Michael Taylor joins Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine as Director of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Program

Neurosurgeon and molecular biologist will focus on medulloblastoma and ependymoma research

HOUSTON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine are proud to welcome Dr. Michael Taylor, esteemed molecular biologist and CPRIT Scholar, as the Director of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Program at Texas Children's Hospital and at Baylor College of Medicine. Taylor will also remain clinically active as a pediatric neurosurgeon in the Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, at Texas Children's Hospital.

"I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Taylor, a world-renowned physician, neurosurgeon and researcher, to Texas Children's," said Mark A. Wallace, President and CEO of Texas Children's. "His extensive experience and passion for brain cancer research will be a tremendous asset to our team and will strengthen our ability to provide the very best care to childhood cancer patients in Texas, throughout the nation and worldwide."

As the director of the transformational pediatric neuro-oncology research program, Taylor will lead a team of investigators dedicated to pursuing novel therapies for particularly difficult-to-treat pediatric brain tumors, including medulloblastoma and ependymoma.

"Throughout my career, I have been inspired by the cancer research taking place at Texas Children's, and I am honored to be joining this collaborative, cutting-edge team," said Taylor. "While I am dedicated to curing medulloblastoma and ependymoma, most of all, I look forward to continuing my research into preventing these aggressive cancers. My vision is that no family ever has to face this devastating diagnosis."

Taylor's research will take place within Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, one of the largest pediatric cancer and hematology centers in the United States and consistently ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

"Dr. Taylor's research into treating and preventing rare, aggressive and recurrent pediatric brain tumors is a wonderful addition to our program, and we are so excited to welcome him to our team," said Dr. Susan Blaney, Director of Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center and Division Chief of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Baylor College of Medicine. "I have no doubt that Dr. Taylor and his laboratory will enhance and accelerate our mission to cure childhood cancer."

Within the Neurosurgery division, Taylor will continue his work as a clinical neurosurgeon. In 2022, Texas Children's Hospital's pediatric neurosurgery division was ranked #2 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and is a national and international destination for world-class, innovative, high quality and attentive neurosurgical care for children. With Dr. Taylor's arrival, Texas Children's Neurosurgery is now the largest and remains one of the most active pediatric neurosurgery teams in the nation, with very high surgical volumes, especially in pediatric brain and spinal tumor, epilepsy and fetal surgery.  Just over a decade ago, Texas Children's was the first hospital in the world to use real-time MRI-guided thermal imaging and laser technology to destroy lesions in the brain that cause epilepsy and uncontrollable seizures, and experts here pioneered groundbreaking fetoscopic spina bifida repair.  It is also one of the few pediatric centers with focused ultrasound technology, and is the first children's hospital to be designated as a pediatric skull base multidisciplinary team of distinction.

"I am very proud to welcome Dr. Taylor to our special neurosurgical team," said Dr. Howard Weiner, Chief of Neurosurgery at Texas Children's Hospital and Professor and Vice Chair of Neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine. "He is a widely recognized international leader in pediatric brain tumor research and will be a huge addition to our team. We are so impressed by Dr. Taylor's expertise and sincere dedication to the patients he cares for, and I look forward to working closely with him."

Prior to joining Texas Children's, Taylor was a professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto and a principal investigator in the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He earned his medical degree from the University of Western Ontario and his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto/Ontario, and he completed his fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery and neuro-oncology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

To learn more about Texas Children's Hospital, visit texaschildrens.org. To learn more about Baylor College of Medicine, visit bcm.edu.

Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children's hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children's has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women's health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children's care for communities north of Houston. The organization also created Texas Children's Health Plan, the nation's first HMO for children; has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country, Texas Children's Pediatrics; Texas Children's Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that's channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children's Global Health program leads efforts that advance health care equity through innovative collaboration in care, education and research for underserved populations globally. Texas Children's Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) in Houston is recognized as health sciences university and is known for excellence in education, research and patient care. It is the only private medical school in the greater southwest and is ranked 22^nd among medical schools for research and 17^th for primary care by U.S. News & World Report. Baylor is listed 20^th among all U.S. medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding and No. 1 in Texas. The Baylor pediatrics program ranked 7^th among all pediatric programs, reflecting the strong affiliation with Texas Children's Hospital where our faculty care for pediatric patients and our students and residents train. Located in the Texas Medical Center, Baylor has affiliations with seven teaching hospitals and jointly owns and operates Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center. Currently, Baylor has more than 3,000 trainees in medical, graduate, nurse anesthesia, physician assistant, orthotics and genetic counseling as well as residents and postdoctoral fellows. Follow Baylor College of Medicine on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BaylorCollegeOfMedicine) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/BCMHouston).

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital