Before medical school, Dr. Taylore King volunteered for a urogynecologist in South Africa. Her experience revealed racial inequities in medicine and substandard care for women abroad, ultimately leading to her desire to become a physician focused on improving women’s health and global health issues.

Dr. Taylore King

What this award means: “I developed a deep respect and admiration for the faculty I had the opportunity to work with. To be chosen for this award by some of those same faculty members – who have an incredible dedication to the field of Ob/Gyn and to the underserved women of Dallas – is an immense honor.”

Mentor comment: “This award is given to a student who demonstrates scholarship, leadership, and a deep interest in women’s health care, and Taylore more than exceeds all of these qualities.  Her commitment to the field of obstetrics and gynecology is unwavering, and she is an excellent role model to her peers.” – Dr. Alicia Kiszka, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Background and family: “I am originally from Orange County, California, and I have three younger siblings that I am incredibly close to.”

What led to your career path: “Following my early graduation from Johns Hopkins, I volunteered with a urogynecologist in Cape Town, South Africa. That experience was my first exposure to racial inequalities in medicine and a substandard level of care for women abroad. Volunteering in South Africa was eye-opening and set my career path on a direction toward global health and women’s health. I was accepted to the M.D. with Distinction in Global Health track during my first year of medical school, which gave me the opportunity to pursue research in Thailand, Peru, and Guatemala. Several of my projects focused on women’s health, specifically among those in underserved communities, which further inspired me to pursue a career in Ob/Gyn. As an Ob/Gyn, I will have the opportunity to provide equitable care for women often in the most vulnerable time in their lives.”

UTSW activities: “I am a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society; a medical student representative of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for District XI in Texas; co-founder and President of Guatemala Healing Hands Foundation; author and editor of Home and Abroad, UT Southwestern’s global health magazine; and former President of the UTSW Global Health Interest Group.”

Surprising fact: “People would be surprised to know that I have been both skydiving and bungee jumping!”

Future plans: “I am headed to a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Emory University School of Medicine. I hope to be a generalist Ob/Gyn and spend my career working at a safety net hospital caring for the underserved in the United States and pursuing global health in Central or South America.”

About the award: The Southwestern Gynecologic Assembly Award is given annually to an outstanding UT Southwestern Medical School graduate pursuing a career in obstetrics and gynecology.