On August 4, Project Sunshine welcomed two new members to its Board of Directors. Dr. Taylor B. Sewell and Kate C. Tylis join us with their wealth of experience, and we’re excited for the ways they will help to realize our organization's mission to bring the healing power of play to even more children with medical needs.
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Dr. Taylor B. Sewell, MD, MBA, FAAP Childhood fact: I took ballroom dance lessons as a kid. |
Kate C. Tylis Childhood fact: Loved playing basketball and soccer and led her high school basketball team to win three State Championships. |
Taylor B. Sewell, MD, MBA, FAAP is a pediatric hospitalist and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). He received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania and MBA in Healthcare Management from The Wharton School. After graduating from Pediatrics Residency at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, he joined the faculty at Columbia.
His research focuses on the patient’s experience of healthcare and the healthcare professional’s experience of providing that care. He employs various methodologies at various levels of collaboration to untangle what matters to patients, families, and clinicians. He also helps lead the patient experience strategy as the Medical Director of Patient Experience for CUIMC. Taylor’s dedication to patient experience has been recognized with invitations to join the advisory committees of multiple international patient experience organizations.
Diversity, inclusion, intersectionality, and health justice are inherently embedded in the patient’s and provider’s experience of the healthcare system. As such, Taylor’s patient experience work both informs and benefits from his other roles. He serves as a Faculty Advisor in the Office of Student Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, is an active member of the Diversity and Inclusion Council in the Department of Pediatrics, and works with the Pediatric Residency Program to help recruit trainees that reflect all communities.
Project Sunshine Experience:
Taylor has been an inaugural member of the Project Sunshine Board Program Committee since 2019 and is deeply involved in Project Sunshine’s program metrics and evaluation. He presented at Project Sunshine’s Hospital Leadership Roundtable Forum to educate healthcare leaders about the organization, the importance of play, and TelePlay. Additionally, he was also a special guest at the first volunteer “Speaker Series” where he discussed his journey in pediatrics and inspired many of our pre-medical student volunteers.
Taylor co-authored an article Project Sunshine is seeking to publish titled, “Pediatrics Care Volunteerism: Lessons from the Pandemic”. He also helped launch our Caregiver and Partner Feedback Evaluation Survey for TelePlay, and now is expanding that work with our Kentucky Association of Health Plans grant to further understand the efficacy of the TelePlay program for children in Kentucky.
Kate Cinella Tylis is an attorney. Currently, she is the Legal Talent Acquisition Consultant at Anderson Kill firm where she is assisting the organization with its lateral recruiting. In her role, Kate is also responsible for sourcing viable lateral candidates, groups, or small firms; implementing a program to screen and assess their suitability; and matching them with the vacancies or target practice growth areas.
In addition to her role at Anderson Kill, Kate serves on the board of several non-profit organizations and is the Chapter Leader of Project Sunshine’s Harlem Hospital programs. She also co-founded the Tylis Family Foundation, whose mission is to make a positive, lasting impact on the lives of children and families.
Project Sunshine Experience:
Since 2019, Kate has been an inaugural member of the Project Sunshine Board's Program Committee, showcasing her commitment to making a difference. Alongside her role as the Chapter Leader at Harlem Hospital since 2015, Kate has also actively participated in at-home kit packing.
As one of our most experienced and respected volunteers, Kate received the Volunteer Recognition Award during our Annual Gala in 2016. Kate and her family have also been philanthropic leaders at Project Sunshine. The Tylis Family Foundation has sponsored Project Sunshine's Gala since 2019.
