MILWAUKEE -- Robert Taylor, M.D., was named Man of the Year by the Wisconsin Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He received the honor at an awards ceremony Friday, June 26, at the Milwaukee Public Museum.

Dr. Taylor is the medical director of the Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Program at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center. The ASCT program was established in 1990 and more than 500 patients have been treated since that time.

The Man & Woman of the Year campaign raised more than $65,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to support programs including research, patient services, advocacy, public and professional education in Wisconsin.

The two winners, Dr. Robert Taylor of Mequon, and Betty Alioto of Milwaukee, participated in a 10-week fundraising period that began with a kickoff celebration. Every dollar raised counted as one "vote," and Dr. Taylor helped raise $20,000.

Dr. Taylor has been involved with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the blood in Milwaukee for more than 25 years. After completing his medical school at Yale University, he trained in hematology and medical oncology at the University of Washington in Seattle where he worked with Dr. E. Donnall Thomas, a Nobel Laureate for his pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation. He was then recruited to Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center to develop and run the Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Program.

Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit Wisconsin health care provider and a national leader in efforts to improve health care quality. Aurora offers services at sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin.

Online newsroom: http://www.aurora.org/newsroom