Allen Taylor
MD
Allen Taylor, MD, FACC, FAHA, is Chief of Cardiology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and MedStar Health Research Institute in Washington, DC. Dr. Taylor is a board-certified cardiologist and clinical researcher, specializing in cardiovascular imaging and prevention.
Dr. Taylor obtained his medical training at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, followed by internal medicine residency training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC, and a cardiovascular disease fellowship at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA. During a 20-year career in the United States Army at Walter Reed, he served as the Director of Cardiovascular Research, Director of the Cardiovascular Disease Training Program, and Chief of the Cardiology service. He retired from military service in 2008 at the rank of Colonel, and held the Army's "A" proficiency designator and was decorated with the Legion of Merit. He is a full Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda MD, and Georgetown University, Washington, DC.
Dr. Taylor's major research accomplishments include defining the role of lipid lowering therapy on carotid atherosclerosis, focusing on HDL cholesterol and the use of niacin. His pioneering work in the field of cardiac CT includes conducting long-term prospective outcomes trials, randomized clinical trials on the utility of the technique, and methods to enhance the safety and appropriateness of cardiovascular imaging. He has published more than 165 manuscripts in the areas of imaging, lipids, prevention, cardiovascular outcomes, and quality in journals, such as Circulation, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and the New England Journal of Medicine. He receives ongoing research funding from various federal and private sources, including the NIH.
Dr. Taylor serves as founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cardiovascular CT, and as Editor of the Braunwald's Heart Disease companion text atlas on cardiac CT. He is the President of the Society of Atherosclerosis Imaging and Prevention, Immediate Past Chair of the Imaging Council, current Chair of the FOCUS campaign of the American College of Cardiology, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Society of Cardiovascular CT and Certification Board of Cardiovascular CT. His work on national writing groups and task forces includes multi-society guidelines on cardiac CT training, terminology, and performance, quality standards for imaging performance and radiation protection, Appropriate Use Criteria for diagnostic testing, and national standards on cardiovascular disease management and prevention.
Dr. Taylor contributes frequently to press reports as an authority on cardiovascular disease in major media, such as The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, US News and World Report, Associated Press, Reuters, Forbes, and has appeared on NBC and CBS Nightly News programs.
Research Interests
Dr. Taylor's primary research interests include
- Non-invasive imaging
- High cholesterol prevention (prevention, lipids)
- Carotid intima-media thickness imaging
- Carotid atherosclerosis
- Cardiac CT
Research Areas
- Cardiovascular