Dr. Taylor McMillen '15

A star volleyball player at Pitt-Bradford, Dr. Taylor McMillen '15 took the teamwork and discipline of athletics into one of medicine's more demanding specialties. A psychology major, she today works as a neuropsychologist in Michigan, evaluating patients’ cognitive function for indicators of dementia, stroke, and related conditions — work that requires both clinical precision and genuine human connection. For McMillen, the foundation for both was laid on the volleyball court.

As a self-described introvert, she found that being part of a team gave her something she might not have sought out on her own: community. That community proved lasting. Her teammate and fellow psychology major Kelcey Schaum '14 became a close friend, and the two went on to pursue doctoral degrees together, earning their doctorates in psychology within a year of each other.

After a knee injury ended her playing days, McMillen carried the habit of physical discipline into new pursuits — cycling, weightlifting, and bodybuilding — a reflection of something she clearly understood long before her clinical training: that movement matters for the mind as much as the body.