Chairperson
President and CEO
Iris Taylor & Associates
After a stellar 40-year career at the Detroit Medical Center, Iris A. Taylor retired March 27, 2015. A native Detroiter, Dr. Taylor is an achiever in every sense of the word. She received her bachelor and master degrees in nursing and her doctorate of philosophy from Wayne State University. She also completed her management fellowship at the Wharton School of Business.
Dr. Taylor’s career has included a variety of positions including that of practitioner, educator/consultant and administrator. Having dedicated most of her life to patient care, she was responsible for nursing and patient care services for the DMC healthcare system, an academically integrated network of nine hospitals, two nursing centers and more than 50 primary care practices located throughout southeast Michigan.
Dr. Taylor has served two terms as President and as CEO of Detroit Receiving Hospital and University Health Center from 2005 to 2010 and 2012 to 2015. She served as Chief Business Officer for the Detroit Medical Center from July 2010 to 2012. From 2002 to 2004, she was president of Harper University Hospital and Hutzel Women’s Hospital. Taylor left her position as President and CEO of the Detroit Institute for Children in June 1999 to assume the role of DMC’s Chief Nursing Officer.
Dr. Taylor is one of the system’s leaders on key issues such as quality control and patient satisfaction, and her showcase role demonstrates the DMC’s recognition of nursing as a critical area in the delivery of quality healthcare. She leaves a legacy as the first Chief Nursing Officer, a strong advocate for nursing practice and a mentor for individuals studying to become nurses. She established a system-wide platform for successful compliance surveys and a hospital environment of quality that has earned exemplary housekeeping seals and recognition from external organizations and healthcare agencies. And, she has been a strong advocate for community health programs that contribute to the overall improved health of the citizens of Detroit.
Dr. Taylor is an adjunct professor at Wayne State University in two prestigious colleges/schools–College of Nursing and School of Medicine. She is very dedicated to the community and has served in leadership positions on many local boards of directors, including those of the Michigan Peer Review Organization, Merrill-Palmer Institute, Detroit Central City Community Mental Health, Neighborhood Services Organization, Eastern Michigan University’s School of Nursing Curriculum Advisory Board, and College of Nursing Board of Visitors.
On March 27, 2015, Dr. Taylor was honored with the Michigan Chronicle Women of Excellence award. In 2014, among many other rewards, she received the” Success With Significance” award from the Tree of Life Foundation. She was named one of Detroit’s 100 Most Influential Women in 2002 and 2007 by Crain’s Detroit Business and was the 2009 Honoree for Leaders, Legends, and Luminaries by Lakeshore Economic Coalition.
Dr. Taylor served as President of the Detroit Public School Board Community District for four years and is currently vice chair of the Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority She also participates as a mediator and health care consultant.