Taylor Ellis, a 2026 Pisacano Scholar, is a fourth-year medical student at Wake Forest School of Medicine and a proud North Carolina native. She graduated from Bunn High School, located in a small rural community northeast of Raleigh. Growing up, she witnessed the challenges many members of her community faced in accessing healthcare, inspiring her to pursue a career in medicine.

A first-generation college student, Taylor earned her associate degree from Wake Technical Community College before graduating summa cum laude from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and minors in psychology and health, medicine, and human values. During her gap years, she worked as a medical assistant at Wake Internal Medicine Associates.

At Wake Forest, Taylor has served as President of the Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG), helping lead the chapter to American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Program of Excellence recognition for two consecutive years. Through FMIG, she helped develop educational programming and workshops focused on rural health and family medicine obstetrics, ultrasound-guided joint injections, and women’s health procedures, including IUD and Nexplanon placement. She was elected student director-elect to the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors, serves as the national student representative to the AAFP Family Medicine Obstetrics Member Interest Group, completed the North Carolina Medical Society Advocacy in Medicine Fellowship, and has advocated for patients through White Coat Wednesday at the North Carolina General Assembly.

Taylor served as co-president of the Sexual Health Awareness Group, social chair of her school’s first-generation student organization, and founder of Body Image, Food Relationships, and Health, an organization dedicated to helping future physicians navigate sensitive conversations surrounding food, body image, and disordered eating. She received Wake Forest School of Medicine’s Peacock-Plunk Award, presented to students who earn honors grades in all clinical clerkships, and was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Taylor has presented her scholarly work at the Society of Hospital Medicine Converge Conference, the CDC STI Prevention Conference, and the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians Winter Conference.

Her professional interests include family medicine obstetrics, addiction medicine, sexual health, newborn care, and rural health. Outside of medicine, she enjoys trying new foods, traveling, playing pickleball, hiking, reading, and spending time with her fiancé and their two pets, Melon and Billie.

Taylor expresses deep gratitude to her mentors, including Dr. Karen Wolf and Dr. Michelle Keating, as well as the staff of the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, for fostering her passion for family medicine and demonstrating the breadth of opportunities within the specialty. She is honored to be selected as a 2026 Pisacano Scholar and looks forward to advocating for patients and advancing the future of family medicine through the Foundation’s support.

As a future family physician, Taylor hopes to practice full-spectrum family medicine, including obstetrics, and to accompany patients through some of the most important milestones of their lives. She envisions a career that combines patient care and advocacy to expand access to healthcare, particularly in communities facing primary care shortages.