Terrie Taylor

University Distinguished Professors MSU Foundation Professors College of Osteopathic Medicine

• MSU Foundation Professor

Bio

Terrie Taylor, MSU Foundation Professor and University Distinguished Professor of Tropical Medicine in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, is an internationally recognized scientist and physician who has waged a 33-year battle against malaria, which she refers to as the “Voldemort of parasites.” She spends six months of every year in Malawi conducting malaria research and treating patients, the majority of whom are children.  A passionate and dedicated educator, Taylor hosted 24 students per year at her own expense for six-week rotations at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, teaching and mentoring them in groups of eight at a time. She also co-founded the Blantyre Malaria Project, becoming its director in 2000, to carry out research and patient care in the area of pediatric cerebral malaria.   

Taylor began her long and distinguished career by supervising an NIH-funded MSU grant in the Sudan. Upon her return, she completed an internal medicine residency, followed by a fellowship in tropical medicine at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. The fellowship placed her in Malawi researching malaria, where she fell in love with the people and the country and found her calling.

Taylor has been the recipient of countless honors and awards, including the American Medical Association Foundation Excellence in Medicine Award, the AOA Osteopathic Pioneer Award, and the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Ben Kean Award. She has authored or co-authored well over 200 peer-reviewed publications and has received over $35 million in grant awards.