Batya Swift Yasgur MA, LSW, is a freelance writer with a counseling practice in Teaneck, New Jersey.
A writer with over 30 years of experience, she is a regular contributor to numerous medical publications, including Medscape and WebMD, and is the author of several consumer-oriented health books as well as Behind the Burqa: Our Lives in Afghanistan and How We Escaped to Freedom (the memoir of two brave Afghan sisters who told her their story).
Yasgur received her Master's degree in Near Eastern Languages from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and her MSW from Rutgers University School of Social Work. Her areas of expertise include neurology, psychiatry, cardiology, pain management, rheumatology, parenting, pulmonology, geriatrics, urology, endocrinology, ophthalmology, addiction/recovery, trauma, gastroenterology, women’s health, primary care, pediatrics, infectious disease, complementary/alternative medicine, practice management/business of medicine, cardiometabolic health, nutrition, spirituality, and immigrant issues. She writes for healthcare professionals as well as consumers and enjoys “translating” complex concepts into accessible language appropriate for her target audience.
Yasgur’s strong passion for human rights led her to become a member of the board of directors of the Afghan Women’s Fund and to visit and correspond with immigrants in detention centers. She has been the recipient of several awards, including the 2021 American Society of Business Publication Editors Azbee Regional Gold Award of Excellence for Original Research and the 1995 Mystery Writers of America’s Robert L Fish Award for Best First Published Mystery Story.