J. Michael Taylor, MD

As a pediatric neurologist, I specialize in stroke, cerebrovascular disease, brain vascular anomalies, acquired brain injury and neurocritical care.

A major part of my job is to be an educator. The brain is mysterious to most people, and brain injuries are intensely frightening. If I can teach a family what is real and what they don’t need to worry about, it gets easier. I want my patients and their families to have an understanding of the disease process and what they can do to help.

I was inspired to pursue a career in stroke and neurocritical care by the children who have brain disease and their families. We can do so much to change the outcomes of these conditions when we intervene aggressively and comprehensively right at the beginning.

At Cincinnati Children’s, our cerebrovascular and neurocritical care teams excel where families find frustration at other institutions. We communicate well. We have built our teams with a focus on expertise and strong partnerships with supporting medical disciplines. My decision-making is enhanced by our collaborative approach, which draws on the experience of our world-class institution.

Our programs are designed to span the arc from the first identification of a disease, to treatment and then to recovery. Throughout this process we stay focused on the family experience of being hospitalized – making it the best experience possible.

In addition to my clinical practice, I am also a researcher. My colleagues and I are trying to understand the risk factors that cause children to suffer from cerebrovascular disease. We work on improvements to care and on educating other providers on best practices in brain injury management. Through collaboration with clinician scientists around the world, we are learning more about stroke and recovery in children.

In my career, I have been honored for teaching resident doctors, receiving the M. Harold Fogelson, MD, Teaching Award while at Cincinnati Children’s. My research mentee recently won an award from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association based on our current research work.

Outside the hospital, I enjoy spending time with my two wonderful kids and my wife, who is a writer. I grew up in a musical house and majored in music (saxophone) in college. It’s a hobby I still enjoy. I’m also an insatiable fan of soccer, both as a dad and as a recreational league player. And I’m a big fan of FC Cincinnati.