I’m a physician at Stanford University and a science journalist. I hold my M.D. from Harvard Medical School and my B.S. from Yale University. I completed my residency in internal medicine followed by a fellowship in oncology and hematology, both at Stanford.

I am on the faculty at Stanford University School of Medicine. I have a special interest and expertise in cancer survivorship and improving transitions between oncology and primary care. As Co-Director of Stanford’s Primary Care for Cancer Survivorship program, I run an innovative clinic that provides comprehensive care for patients with a history of cancer as well as those carrying genetic diagnoses conferring elevated risk. I am incredibly fortunate to do this work, and my goal is to provide thoughtful, compassionate, and holistic care for all my patients. I am also Co-Director of the Stanford Primary Care clinic for residents and find great reward in training the next generation of physicians.

As a journalist, I strive to connect what can be an intimidating world of medicine to everyday lives. I am the Physician-Journalist in Residence at Stanford. My science writing career began during my undergraduate days, when I was Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Scientific Magazine. I then received the AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellowship, which allowed me to work as a science and health reporter for The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina. I also wrote about bioethics and science policy for Science Progress in Washington, DC.

I was a blog columnist for Scientific American; I created my column “Unofficial Prognosis” during medical school to capture my experiences and reflections during my training. As a doctor I also created and wrote the Hard Questions column at Hematology News and co-hosted the podcast Blood and Cancer.

In the meantime, I freelance. I am especially passionate about writing long-form, in-depth medical explorations. My journalism has appeared in Undark Magazine, Aeon Magazine, Health Affairs and STAT News and been re-published in The Atlantic and Smithsonian Magazine. My investigative piece on fragmented medical records was recognized in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2019 anthology. My book, Fragmented, was published by W.W. Norton in July 2023.

I co-founded and co-chair the Stanford Big Ideas in Medicine conference, which brings together interdisciplinary thought leaders to dissect the biggest issues facing health care in our times. I also have an academic interest in bioethics. I delved deeper into ethics while interning at the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, and my independent ethics papers have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Penn Bioethics Journal, and Ivy Journal of Ethics.

Finally, the intersection of my work is intentional. Above all else I care about improving the lives of patients, and I am grateful for a chance to do it through my one-on-one work as a doctor and on a broad scale through my writing, teaching, and research.

Recognition

Profiled in The Washington Post
“Yurkiewicz isn’t just a physician: She’s also a journalist, and she weaves a story that’s as intriguing as it is informative.”

Winner, Folio: Eddie Award, 2020
For MDEdge column, “Hard Questions”

Shortlisted for the Cancer Journalism Award, 2019-2020