Dr. Seema Yasmin

Seema Yasmin stands at the intersection of medicine, journalism, and public health as an Emmy Award-winning journalist, physician, and Director of Stanford's Health Communication Initiative. After training in medicine at the University of Cambridge and journalism at the University of Toronto, she served as an officer in the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service, investigating disease outbreaks across the United States. Her unique career path led her to become a trusted voice in health communication, serving as a medical analyst for CNN, science correspondent for The Dallas Morning News, and professor at multiple institutions. As a prolific author, she has published eight influential books spanning genres from medical myth-busting to poetry, including "Viral BS: Medical Myths and Why We Fall For Them" and "If God Is A Virus: Poems." Her journalism has earned prestigious recognition, including being a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2017 and receiving multiple grants from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. At Stanford University, she directs research on health misinformation and information equity while teaching multimedia storytelling to medical students. Recently appointed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine committee, she continues to combat disease misinformation through innovative communication strategies. Her work appears in leading publications like The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Scientific American, establishing her as a leading authority in translating complex medical information for public understanding.