Taveras was the superlative pioneer of neuroradiology. The first full-time practicing neuroradiologist in North America, he directed the Neurologic Institute at Columbia University and the Department of Radiology at the Washington University School of Medicine before being named Radiologist-in-Chief at MGH in 1971. Taveras organized the MGH radiology department into divisions based on subspecialties such as neuroradiology. This model became the standard across the country.