Gregory L. Taylor II

USC, Marshall School of Business

“Fearless and humble, able to both laugh and cry with others, family-centered.”

Age: 44

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Family Members: Wife (Yiye Taylor), Son 4 (Gregory L Taylor III), Daughter 6 (Staci J. Taylor)

Fun fact about yourself: Speak Mandarian Chinese and Spanish

Undergraduate School and Degree: Morehouse College; BA International Studies, Howard University College of Medicine; M.D.

Where are you currently working? Medical Director, USC Concierge Medicine, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles: Committee Chair; QOSS (Quality Operations Standards Subcomittee, Keck Medicine HLA 5 (Health Care Leadership Academy). Mentoring is extremely important as a way to give back to community. Other people devoted time to help me succeed and it is important to pass it on. I mentor medical students through the KSOM Office of Diversity and Inclusion, undergraduates thorough the Alpha Epsilon Delta (USC Pre-Med Honor Society), and Junior and High School students through the Omega Educational Foundation. It is an honor to serve others in this fashion.

The Associate Dean for Curriculum invited me to participate in an exciting new wellness curriculum for spring 2019, Year 1 KSOM students. The class is titled: “Nutrition and Fitness for Medical Students.” I am conducting research on the topic and will combine it with insights from clinical observations. This is an excellent opportunity to provide value to young learners and encourage them to establish successful behaviors for long-term success in high-stress, high-risk environments.

Medical Director of the Keck Medical Center in the downtown Los Angeles multidisciplinary outpatient private practice 2014-2018

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Promotion to Medical Director of USC Concierge Medicine because I utilized skills learned in business school to develop presentations, financial plan, negotiate salary and overall strategy. Part of this journey involved presentations to the cabinet of the SVP of Keck Medicine and the cabinet of the past president of USC.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Prior to 2014, the Keck downtown Los Angeles private practice was struggling financially. We are now thriving and profitable. Serving as Medical Director has been a privilege and has enhanced my leadership and managerial skillsets. Starting with six physicians in 2014, we now have over 25 physicians and surgeons of various specialties. Patient visits are up 250% from 2012 and is expected to grow 21% next year. We had over 25,000 patient visits last year. Our downtown facility serves as a successful urban ambulatory model because of teamwork between the surrounding community, School of Medicine, and Keck Medical Center. Additional administrative responsibilities for Keck Medical Center have broadened my understanding and appreciation of the complexity the USC-Keck health system. I have a deeper understanding of group dynamics and importance of collaboration between departments and across hospital service lines from maintenance to neurosurgery.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Greg Patton. He was the catalyst that started the entire process and his material for presentations was what I used to begin my journey for promotion.

What was your favorite MBA course and what was the biggest insight you gained about business from it? Finance. It taught me how to conceptualize financial risk

Why did you choose this executive MBA program? To serve as a catalyst in my plan to lead a healthcare organization. I was not willing to continue the status quo and wait hoping that someone would “hook me up.”

What did you enjoy most about business school in general? I enjoyed m classmates’ wide range of professional backgrounds and skill sets, along with team-based learning.

Give us a story during your time as an executive MBA on how you were able to juggle work, family and education? NOT EASY!!!!!! Family often times will never be satisfied. I tried to do work stuff when my kids were asleep. My clinical practice inspired me to develop a tool designed for busy professionals to measure the added value of routine physical activity. It has grown from the following hypothesis: If you leave your physical activity and nutrition to chance, you will develop a chronic disease by age 60. Through observing thousands of busy working professionals, they often have limited opportunities for regular physical activity before or after work and neglect any regular exercise. The tool that I have created, the Life Operational Score, encourages and measures the benefit of exercise done per hour worked while at work.

The Associate Dean for Curriculum invited me to participate in an exciting new wellness curriculum for spring 2019, Year 1 KSOM students. The class is titled: “Nutrition and Fitness for Medical Students.” I am conducting research on the topic and will combine it with insights from clinical observations. This is an excellent opportunity to provide value to young learners and encourage them to establish successful behaviors for long-term success in high-stress, high-risk environments.

What advice would you give to a student looking to enter an executive MBA program? Decide if you learn best working alone or in a group environment. Different programs have different approaches.

What is the biggest myth about going back to school? I am a perpetual student, so I’m always feel like I’m in school.

What was your biggest regret in business school? Not partying enough, LOL.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? (and why?) Jen. She had a baby during the program and was still able to handle the responsibilities.

“I knew I wanted to go to business school when… I had no clear 10-20 year career path.”

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? Health System Leader

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? I made them feel alive and created positive emotional connections.

What are the top two items on your bucket list? Vacation with family for 10 days, Grow the new concierge program over next 12-24 months.

DON’T MISS: THE ENTIRE LIST OF THE BEST & BRIGHTEST EXECUTIVE MBAs OF 2019 or RANKING THE BEST EMBA PROGRAMS IN THE U.S.