Penguin Speakers Bureau

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a trained and published neuroanatomist. Her specialty was in the postmortem investigation of the human brain as it relates to schizophrenia and the severe mental illnesses. Having a brother who has been diagnosed with the brain disorder schizophrenia, Dr. Taylor served for three years on the Board of Directors of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) from 1994 through 1997. She currently serves as President of the Greater Bloomington affiliate of NAMI in Bloomington, Indiana.

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 as the national spokesperson for the mentally ill for the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center (also known as the Harvard Brain Bank) located at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. As the “Singin’ Scientist,” she delivers this very popular keynote address, titled “How to Get Your Brain to Do What You Want It to Do.”

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 arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Two and a half weeks later, on December 27, 1996, she underwent major brain surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital to remove a golf ball–sized blood clot that was placing pressure on the language centers in the left hemisphere of her brain.

It took eight years for Dr. Taylor to successfully rebuild 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 blossomed. Among other things, she now creates and sells unique stained-glass brains when commissioned to do so. Dr. Taylor also published a book about her recovery from her stroke and the insight she gained into the workings of her brain. Her New York Times–bestselling memoir is titled My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey.

In May of 2008, Time magazine chose Dr. Taylor as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, and she was the premiere guest on Oprah’s Soul Series webcast. Her interview with Oprah and Dr. Mehmet Oz on the Oprah Winfrey Show aired on October 21, 2008.

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor Interview
Oprah's Soul Series Webcast

"After a Stroke, a Scientist Studies Herself"
NPR's Fresh Air

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor Named One of the 2008 TIME 100
Time

"Scientist Turns Microscope on Herself"
Wired

• Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's TED Talk