This past summer, she was the keynote speaker at thewhite coats for black lives "die in" event at CU Anschutz Medical Campus to spread awareness about the health inequities in the American medical system.  

Another passion for Taylor-Cousar is highlighting the importance of representation in the medical field. She shared a childhood memory with Rocky Mountain PBS about a time when she stumbled upon a drawing of a Black doctor taking care of two Black children. 

From there, she said that picture became a motivating factor to become a doctor. “I needed that representation for me to say, ‘Yes, I can do this!’ And so, I think that is critical for young physicians, even high school kids and younger, to see somebody who looks like them who is doing what they might want to do someday," she explained.

To date, Taylor-Cousar has the drawing hanging in her office at National Jewish Health. 

Taylor-Cousar also spoke about a touching moment when a 10-year-old Black girl, a patient of hers, went and told her parents she wanted to be a doctor because of Taylor-Cousar.

[Related:Doctors, medical students aim to inspire the next generation of Black doctors]

“When Black people get into positions of leadership, they have to be willing to speak up because I think there is a lot of fear because of the negativity that occurs when you do that," she said, "but if you get a seat at the table I feel like you are really obligated to help make change."

Lindsey Ford is a multimedia journalist with Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at lindseyford@rmpbs.org.