Taylarr Lopez is a dedicated public health communications leader with more than a decade of experience in health education, patient advocacy, and public health communication. She currently serves as Health Communications Director at the National Minority Quality Forum, where she spearheads Lift Every Voice, a flagship initiative that empowers diverse communities through patient storytelling, culturally responsive health education, and advocacy.
A significant focus of Taylarr’s work is advancing education, support, and equitable care for people living with metastatic breast cancer. She leads Support Our Sisters with Metastatic Breast Cancer (SOS), a patient-centered program designed to address the unique needs of Black and Hispanic women living with mBC. Through SOS, Taylarr develops plain-language educational resources, facilitates peer-to-peer support, elevates patient voices, and promotes awareness of treatment options and clinical trials. She also builds cross-sector partnerships among patients, advocates, healthcare providers, researchers, and community organizations to help ensure that patient experiences inform education, outreach, and care.
Previously, Taylarr served as Director of Communications at Research!America, where she promoted science communication and health literacy. In this role, she also served as the Health Literacy Advisor for the Coalition for Trust in Health and Science, advancing initiatives to combat misinformation and improve public understanding of health issues. In early 2024, Taylarr provided HIV/AIDS health communications support for Heart to Hand, Inc. in Prince George’s County, Maryland, further strengthening her commitment to addressing health disparities among historically underserved communities.
During her tenure as Publications Manager at the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), Taylarr oversaw the production of the organization’s flagship publications. She also collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on emergency and risk communication strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. This work led her to author “Building Local Health Department COVID-19 Emergency and Risk Communications Capacity” for the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, highlighting strategies to counter misinformation and strengthen public health systems. Her contribution to the journal has also been incorporated into course discussions and learning materials at Brown University’s School of Public Health.
Taylarr’s work spans a range of public health areas, including cancer, infectious and chronic diseases, maternal and child health, and emergency preparedness. She has developed numerous resources, including toolkits, guidebooks, and multimedia content, while delivering professional trainings and patient education programs for underserved communities.
Taylarr holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Bowie State University and a Master of Public Health from Brown University.