Mary Brennan-Taylor, vice president of programs for YWCA of the Niagara Frontier, is a community activist with a passion for patient and victim advocacy. Following the death of her mother, Alice Brennan, from medical error, Brennan-Taylor embarked on a 10-year campaign to bring the patient voice into the schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and physical therapy. As a Consumer Reports Safe Patient Advocate, she has addressed multiple meetings of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and has been invited by numerous state hospital associations to serve as a guest lecturer at annual conferences.

A University at Buffalo Department of Family Medicine adjunct research instructor, Brennan-Taylor volunteers her time as a monthly lecturer in the medical school and serves as a founding member of Team Alice, a multidisciplinary team focusing on geriatric patient safety.