Taylor Vance, MD, first moved to the region when he was just 12 years old. His mother raised him and his brother on her own, and Vance still recalls how hard she worked to make sure they had every opportunity. And although she passed away recently after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, Vance hasn’t forgotten the life lessons she imparted, especially, he insists, “[having] a healthy respect for women and the many hats they wear.” After finding his calling as a doctor while in college, Vance gravitated toward orthopedic surgery and sports medicine, areas where he knew he could make a positive impact on people’s lives.

These days, when he isn’t in the operating room, Vance serves as the team physician at Ponderosa High School, his own alma mater. He also makes it his mission to inspire the next generation of physicians, often inviting local students and outreach programs to shadow him and learn more about medicine. Yet for Vance, now a father of two, the most rewarding activity of all is being able to support people—whether patients or family—through challenging times in their lives, just as his mother once did for him. “I’ve been lucky in terms of what the community has given me,” he explains. “Being able to use that knowledge to help others is really gratifying.” 

By Amber Foster