Debra Jarvis is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. She is a breast cancer survivor and the author of It’s Not About the Hair: And Other Certainties of Life & Cancer (Sasquatch Books, 2007) which was finalist for the 2009 Washington State Book Awards.

She has worked as a hospice spiritual counselor and currently serves as a chaplain for the University of Washington Medical Center. She was a commentator for National Public Radio and frequently speaks at conferences and gives workshops on finding meaning in life’s challenges, medical staff care and spirituality. 

Jarvis received her Master’s in Divinity from Northwest Theological Union, Seattle, 1989; an MA in Christian Arts from New College, Berkeley, 1984; and a BA in Communications from U.C. Berkeley in 1977. She is board certified through the Association for Professional Chaplains (APC) and is a Certified Thanatologist through the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC).