Solve M.E. is pleased to announce that Emily Taylor, Vice President of Advocacy and Engagement, has been appointed as President and CEO. Emily has been a key member of Solve’s leadership team for more than eight years and played a critical role in securing $1.25 billion RECOVER NIH funding for Long Covid research. Solve Board Chair John Nicols states, “We congratulate Emily and look forward to her leadership.”
Emily brings over two decades of unwavering commitment and expertise to her role as CEO of Solve M.E. With a career deeply rooted in health policy, grassroots advocacy, and community empowerment, Emily has dedicated herself to advancing medical research and patient voices in the realm of ME/CFS, Long Covid, and other infection-associated chronic conditions and illnesses.
Emily succeeds Kristin Jacobson, who resigned after recently returning from a medical leave of absence. Kristin will continue to support Solve in the role of Advisor. “We want to thank Kristin for her valuable contributions, and we look forward to continuing to tap into Kristin’s strategic insights,” adds John Nicols. “It has been an honor to serve as Solve’s CEO, leading one of the most skilled and dedicated teams I have worked with in my career,” Kristin says. “I will remain engaged in the field to help address what I believe is the most pressing public health emergency of our time.”
Emily serves as a policy and advocacy advisor, fostering critical partnerships with members of Congress and federal agencies to amplify the voice of those with ME/CFS, Long Covid, and infection-associated chronic conditions on Capitol Hill. Emily says, “I came to Solve looking for answers when my mother got ME/CFS, and now I am honored to lead Solve’s impact on improving the lives of patients.”
Former Solve CEO and ME/CFS patient advocate Carol Head noted:
“Over the last eight years, Emily has achieved results in DC by building a powerful advocacy presence. She achieved this not only by understanding how to do effective advocacy but with her deep knowledge of the complex science of our field. Her breadth of knowledge regarding research science and her understanding of historical context provide Solve with a leader with a deep breadth of experience.
To boot, Emily brings personal relationships with key people in the ME and infection-associated chronic conditions and illnesses space. She’s an extraordinary leader with intellectual curiosity and a deep-seated understanding of how to work with people to get things done. I have no doubt that Emily will lead Solve, and more importantly the field of infection-associated chronic conditions and illnesses, with her trademark upbeat demeanor, heartfelt commitment, and calm wisdom.”
Please join us in congratulating Emily on her appointment. We look forward to our exciting journey ahead under Emily’s dynamic leadership!
Solve Publishes New White Paper Calling for NIH to Restructure Funding for ME/CFS, Long Covid, and other IACCIs
Solve also announces the publication of our newest white paper, “A Home for Infection-Associated Chronic Conditions and Illnesses (IACCIs) at NIH,” co-authored by Emily Taylor, accomplished journalist and filmmaker Ryan Prior, and science and policy researcher Melissa Smallwood. This paper will be used by Solve staff, volunteers, patients and advocates during Solve’s Advocacy Week (April 15-19) as an educational tool during congressional meetings to request a new coordinating mechanism at the NIH that will focus on research, treatment and cures to collectively study all IACCIs including Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), Long Covid, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and other forms of Dysautonomia, persistent or post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS), and others that share overlapping mechanisms and symptoms and have been historically siloed and underfunded despite their immense disease burdens.
Emily notes, “This white paper comes at a critical time when the scientific community and the voices of those suffering are converging into a single message: IACCIs are a public health crisis devastating the lives of an estimated 73 million Americans including many marginalized populations. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color), Latino/Latina, LGBTQIA+, and marginalized, underserved, and economically disadvantaged populations are disproportionately impacted by IACCIs. We must restructure our NIH institutions to reflect the reality unfolding in real time. People can help by using our online action kit to educate their congressional representatives about this urgent issue.”
Read our press release here, and our white paper here.
