Grantley W. Taylor, MD, FACS

Chair, Committee on Cancer, 1947–1951

Grantley W. Taylor, MD, FACS, served as the Chair of the Committee on Cancer from 1947 to 1951. He was born in 1897 in Paterson, NJ. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1922. His postgraduate surgery training took place in Massachusetts General Hospital. During World War II, he served as a major with the Seventh Army in the Battle of the Bulge. Almost all of his professional career following that was associated with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University in the practice of surgical oncology.

During his time as Chair of the Committee on Cancer, there were several notable accomplishments that advanced the mission of the organization. The evolution of the process of cancer case reporting/registry continued during his tenure with collaboration with the U.S. Public Health Service, National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society. The process of inspection of facilities was reorganized to focus on “cancer clinics” rather than “cancer detection center” laying the groundwork for the focus on outcomes that is seen in the accreditation process today.

He was a well-respected advocate in the field of surgical oncology known for his colorful remarks. Upon his death, Massachusetts General collected many of these anecdotes to preserve his memory as a notebook entitled “Taylor’s Tales.”

Written by David Mullins, MD, FACS

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