San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:
Once per month we profile one of the outstanding medical doctors, physicians assistants, or nurses of One Medical Group in downtown San Francisco. This month is Dr. Jennifer Young, MD.
Dr. Jen Young
Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Jennifer received her undergraduate degree in Journalism with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received her MD at Georgetown University. Drawn to California, she completed her Internal Medicine training and an additional year of Hematology and Oncology at Stanford University. Jennifer believes that good health is best achieved when the patient and physician work together as a team. Through education and health information technology, she empowers her patients to take what they've learned and attain a healthy balance for life. She is board-certified in Internal Medicine and, in addition to providing comprehensive primary care, she offers patients with cancer an integrative approach.
Why did you decide to become a medical doctor?
When it comes down to it, ever since I was a young girl I really just wanted to help people and empower them. I was also able to be mentored by my neighbor who was an oncologist, which helped motivate me to become a doctor and advocate for cancer patients.
What is your approach to overall healthcare?
The patient and the doctor are partners in their overall health. I view myself as an advisor to the patient, and I devise practical treatment plans that they can follow and have them come back to update their progress.
How often should someone visit their primary care physician?
Well, there’s really no set frequency, but at minimum everyone should be getting annual physicals to check things like heart rate, blood pressure, address preventative care needs, and explore any abnormal things that arise.
How important is lifestyle decisions influence health?
Lifestyle is health. All the choices we make in our daily lives from what we eat to what activities we do, even how we manage our stress. It all shapes our lives. Anything I can do to help inform patients to make smarter lifestyle choices the better.
You have an integrative approach in treating cancer patients?
I did a year of fellowship in hematology and oncology at Stanford. That fellowship offered me a window into the experience of a patient who finds out they have cancer. Now I feel I am better equipped to be able to diagnose, treat, and most importantly coordinate the necessary open communication between a cancer patients oncologist, hematologist, and me, the primary care physician. My patients can feel confident that all issues are being covered by the team. When working with the cancer patients, I act as both their doctor and their advocate.
What’s one of your biggest challenges in being a doctor?
There’s a fine line because you become attached to the patients as they go through the most traumatic thing they’ve ever gone through (cancer). You walk them through it, and sometimes they make it and sometimes they don’t. It’s very difficult when they don’t pull through, but it’s through those experiences which have allowed me to be much more empathetic and understanding than most doctors.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Jen Young MD, please contact One Medical Group at 415-578-3100.
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