Dr. Valerie Taylor is an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at McMaster University, where she also heads the Mood Disorders Wellness Program and is the new director of the weight loss surgery psychiatry program.

She obtained an Honours degree in Biology/Biochemistry at Memorial University, where she also attended medical school.She completed her FRCPC training in psychiatry at McMaster University in 2004 and a 2-year post-doctoral research fellowship in Mood Disorders with the Faculty of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience in 2006. Her primary research focus is on the association between physical illness, obesity and chronic mental illness. 

Dr. Taylor is involved in clinical and research work at the Bariatric Clinic at the Hamilton General Hospital and with the weight loss surgery program at St. Joseph’s Healthcare. There she is involved in research looking at the associations between addiction, obesity and mental health. She has also integrated mental health research with a variety of different medical subspecialties.

Dr. Taylor has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and is the recipient of numerous academic and research awards and fellowship. She also serves as an obesity expert in Mental Health and Psychology for the Canadian Obesity Network and is a regular columnist for The Hamilton Spectator.