Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained and published neuroanatomist who teaches at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Bloomington, Indiana. As the National Spokesperson for the Mentally Ill for the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center (Harvard Brain Bank), she travels the country as the Singin' Scientist. She is the Consulting Neuroanatomist for the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute. Since 1993, she has been an active member of NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) and is currently the president of the NAMI Greater Bloomington Area affiliate.
Official Biography
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a trained and published neuroanatomist. She
specializes in the postmortem investigation of the human brain.
Because she has a brother who has been diagnosed with the brain
disorder schizophrenia, Dr. Taylor served for 3 years on the board of
directors of the national NAMI organization (National Alliance on
Mental Illness) between 1994-1997. Currently she serves as President
of the Greater Bloomington Affiliate of NAMI.
Because there is a long term shortage of brain tissue donated for
postmortem research by individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or
bipolar disorder, Dr. Taylor travels extensively as the National
Spokesperson for the Mentally Ill for the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource
Center (Harvard Brain Bank) located at McLean Hospital. As the Singin'
Scientist, Dr. Taylor delivers this very popular keynote address
titled: The Beauty and Resiliency of the Human Brain.
But as irony would have it, on December 10, 1996, Dr. Taylor woke up to
discover that she was experiencing a rare form of stroke, an
arterio-venous malformation (AVM). Three weeks later, on December 27,
1996, she underwent major brain surgery at Massachusetts General
Hospital (MGH) to remove a golf ball size hemorrhage that was placing
pressure on the language centers in the left hemisphere of her brain.
For the past ten years, Dr. Taylor has been successfully rebuilding her
brain - from the inside out. In response to the swelling and trauma of
the stroke which placed pressure on her dominant left hemisphere, the
functions of her right hemisphere have blossomed. Among other things,
she now creates and sells unique stained glass brains. In addition she
published a book about her recovery from stroke and the insights she gained into the workings of her brain. The book is titled My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey.
About her presentations...
Dr. Jill's presentations are specifically designed for the education of both the lay public and health professionals. Intended to be "Brain 101" presentations, her audiences are made up of people who want to better understand the beautiful human brain. How does the underlying structural and functional anatomical organization of our brain ultimately result in our behavior? How does our brain create our individual perception of reality? How is it that someone else's perception of reality can be radically different from our own?
Dr. Jill's presentation style is stippled with both appropriate humor and beautiful slides of the brain. She is a dynamic speaker who helps make the subject of the human brain not only manageable, but interesting, exciting, and intellectually stimulating. When we better understand the underlying biological basis of "normal" behavior, we can then comparatively discuss neurological, psychiatric, and/or developmental brain disorders. In addition, we can understand how medications work in the brain and why the newer atypical antipsychotic medications are revolutionizing the world of psychiatry.
As an "Advocate for Humanity," Dr. Jill is a compassionate motivational speaker who speaks from her heart, both as a well sibling of a brother who has been diagnosed with the brain disorder schizophrenia and as a survivor of a debilitating stroke (AVM) which initially rendered her completely disabled.
Dr. Jill has dedicated her career to the advancement of postmortem research into the human brain and to the education of the public about the fragile, yet resilient, nature of this incredible organ. Because of the long-term shortage of brain tissue donated for research into the severe mental illnesses, she travels throughout the country as the Singin' Scientist. By sharing her science and her unique personal journey, she communicates a message of hope, education, and celebration.
Presentation topics include:
- "How to Get Your Brain To Do What You Want It To Do" with a focus on how to create a healthy environment for the cells inside our heads and how to communicate with them for optimal health and performance.
- "Who's Who Inside of You?" with a focus on identifying the two very different personalities within each of our hemispheres with an intention of developing our ability to choose, moment by moment, who and how we want to be in the world.
- "How to Capitalize On Our Two Hemispheres" with a focus on the talents and skills of each of our hemispheres and how to develop them.
- "Ninety Seconds to Happiness" with a focus on understanding how the choices we make and the thoughts we think directly influence our level of joy.
Publicity Photos
