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VCU Massey Cancer Center is expanding its efforts on a global scale with the appointment of Emmanuel A. Taylor, MSc, DrPH, to the position of senior director for Global Cancer Health Equity and Partnerships.

Taylor previously served as the associate director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at Massey. In his new role, he will develop and implement strategies to advance cancer health equity initiatives globally and establish partnerships to drive impactful research, prevention and treatment efforts.

“I am so thrilled to have Emmanuel’s expertise to help elevate our ability to impact cancer outcomes, research and education across the globe,” said Robert A. Winn, M.D., Massey director and Lipman Chair in Oncology. “I often say that we have a local reach but a global impact. In our increasingly connected world, communities across continents are now neighbors within our reach, and the partnerships we’re going to develop will help us to reduce the cancer burden for everyone.”

Taylor, who also serves as a professor in VCU’s Department of Health Behavior and Policy and co-director of the National Program Office for the Alliance for Equity in Cancer Care, has had a long career working to reduce health disparities in the U.S. and globally. He has over 30 years of experience at the State, Federal and community levels as well as in academia and the private sector, including 17 years in the Office of the Director of the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) at the NCI.

Born in Nigeria, Taylor traveled to the U.S. as an exchange student in 1972. He was the first African student to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, and he was also the first Black student to graduate with a doctorate in international health and epidemiology from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

“I have seen firsthand the benefit of a global perspective in medicine and global health,” said Taylor. “I’m thrilled that Massey supports my own belief that not only do we have a responsibility to share our expertise and resources with communities that may not have our advantages, but by partnering with communities across the world we can reach a better understanding of the drivers of disparities that will allow us to better address them in pursuit of better health and quality of life for all.”

Taylor’s interventional epidemiology background will allow him to implement evidence- and community-based cancer health equity programs and interventions, while his DEI expertise will inform the development of culturally appropriate training and career advancement initiatives tailored to diverse populations. He will also be responsible for educational resources and training programs on global cancer health equity in partnership with educational institutions and organizations all over the world, extending Massey's reach globally.

Massey was recently designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the nation’s principal authority on cancer research and training. The designation recognizes Massey’s excellence in laboratory research, population science and clinical research, as well as in its cancer training and community outreach and engagement efforts. The designation allows Massey to broaden the scope of its research and advance science through new approaches, while maintaining its commitment to health equity.

Written by Annie Harris.