Ashely Alker

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Ashely Alker

Ashely Alker, M.D., M.Sc. is an emergency medicine physician who specializes in public health education through media. During her graduate degree in public health, Dr. Alker studied at Harvard School of Public Health’s International Institute in Cyprus. She lived near the United Nations Green Zone and worked at the Unit for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture. After graduating George Washington University School of Medicine, Ashely worked as a healthcare advisor for a U.S. Congressman.

During her medical residency at The University of California, San Diego, Dr. Alker worked as a medical technical consultant and screenwriter for over 20 television shows, including TV and film for Netflix, HULU, HBO, and Disney. Ashely’s writing focuses on public health education. Her non-profit Meaningful Media connects writers, artists, and reporters with certified public health experts to develop scientifically accurate messaging.

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opens in a new window Hardcover	99 Ways to Die And How to Avoid Them An illuminating, hilarious, and practical guide to 99 of the most terrifying ways to die and how to avoid them from an emergency medicine doctor. Dr. Ashely Alker is a self-described death escapologist—or, in more familiar terms, an emergency medicine doctor. She has seen it all, from flesh-eating bacteria to the work of a serial killer...Read More

Trust Me I’m a Doctor: The Medical Media Misinformation Age and Who to Trust

A groundbreaking MIT study revealed that false news spreads up to 100 times faster than the truth—and when misinformation is about health, the consequences can be fatal. From miracle cures gone viral to dangerous anti-vaccine campaigns, Dr. Alker exposes how misleading medical narratives capture attention while accurate information struggles to break through. As Executive Director of Meaningful Media, she shares how her team works to flip the script, crafting health content that is both scientifically sound and irresistibly engaging, so the truth has a fighting chance.

The Art of letting go: A Doctor’s Guide to Making Impossible Decisions
From career moves to family choices, and even the final moments of life, the hardest decisions we face often demand courage, clarity, and compassion. Drawing on her experience guiding patients and families through life-and-death medical choices, Dr. Alker reveals principles that apply to any high-stakes decision: understanding your values, weighing risks and benefits, and knowing when holding on does more harm than letting go. The context is acute, fast-paced medicine; decision-making under pressure; confronting fear, mortality, and the fragility of human life.

Humanities in Health Care: Life-Saving Stories
Dr. Alker draws on her experiences as Executive Director of Meaningful Media and her personal work in medical screenwriting and technical consulting for TV and film for the past ten years. This talk is grounded in narrative medicine: using healthcare stories as public health educational tools. Dr. Alker shows how creative and scientifically accurate storytelling can save lives.

Topics in Public Health and Medicine: Ways to Die and How to Avoid Them
Here, Dr. Alker shifts from individual patient care to systems issues and population health challenges. She examines the causes of death that are common, preventable, or misunderstood, and public health strategies to reduce them. Using tools such as epidemiology, prevention, health policy, and social determinants, she shows how a scientific approach to public health and preventative medicine can save lives.