About John,
Dr. John D. Yeast, is a nationally recognized maternal-fetal medicine specialist, educator, and researcher with more than four decades of leadership in obstetrics and gynecology. His career reflects a deep commitment to advancing perinatal outcomes, shaping medical education, and improving maternal health systems at both the clinical and policy levels. Dr. Yeast co-founded the first, Greater Kansas City, hospital-based Nurse-Midwife practice with Dr. Ginger Breedlove, Nurse Midwife-Associates, in Kansas City, MO at Saint Luke’s Health System in 1994. Dr. Yeast and other MFM physicians worked in collaboration with the midwife service Dr. Breedlove directed for 8 years.
Dr. Yeast earned his BA, MSPH, and MD from the University of Missouri, followed by an internship and residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Naval Regional Medical Center in San Diego. He went on to complete a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at UC Irvine and Women’s Hospital, Long Beach.
He served in numerous academic and clinical leadership roles, including Vice-Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Saint Luke’s Hospital–UMKC, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City. He also directed the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division at Saint Luke’s Perinatal Center for more than 15 years
Beyond Kansas City, Dr. Yeast’s influence has been felt nationally. He has held leadership positions on the Kansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee, the Government Relations Committee of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and boards ranging from the Center for Practical Bioethics to the Missouri Perinatal Association. His dedication to collaboration and ethics in care has made him a respected voice in both medical and bioethics communities.
A prolific scholar, Dr. Yeast has authored or co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, numerous book chapters, and dozens of national and international presentations. His research interests have included preterm premature rupture of membranes (PROM), labor induction, chemical markers of labor, placenta previa management, and fetal aneuploidy screening.
Throughout his career, Dr. Yeast has been recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a member of the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and a reviewer for leading journals such as Obstetrics & Gynecology and the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Today, as Professor Emeritus at UMKC School of Medicine, he continues to contribute his knowledge to the next generation of physicians and advocates.
Dr. Yeast’s legacy is one of leadership, scholarship, and service — always centered on improving maternal and infant health outcomes through evidence-based care, education, and collaboration.
See John Yeast’s CV
