©Bruce Weller for Open Society Institute

Kimá Joy Taylor

Kimá Joy Taylor, MD, MPH, is the director of the Tackling Drug Addiction Program at the Open Society Institute–Baltimore. Prior to joining OSI, Taylor served as the deputy commissioner for the Baltimore City Health Department.

During her tenure at the health department she tried to create more cohesive and integrated public health services for citizens at risk. Before coming to Baltimore, she served as the health and social policy legislative assistant, with issue areas including Social Security, TANF, pharmaceuticals, Medicare, Medicaid, and other health care policy and women's issues.

A board-certified pediatrician, Taylor is a graduate of Brown University, Brown University School of Medicine, and the Georgetown University residency program in pediatrics. From 1998 to 2002, Taylor cared for uninsured and underinsured patients at a community health center in Washington, D.C., and created a city-wide coalition to advance literacy in pediatric primary care.  She worked with other community organizations to empower youth such that they will realize their abilities, grasp opportunities, and improve the world at large.

In 2002, Taylor was awarded a Commonwealth Foundation fellowship in minority health policy at Harvard University. During the fellowship, Taylor's research focused on exploring state legislative remedies for racial and ethnic health disparities.