Krista Vernoff

Krista Vernoff (born 1974) is an American screenwriter.

Much of Vernoff's work has been in the medium of television, as a script (or teleplay) writer.

She has worked on a number of American television shows, including:

Vernoff is best known for her time as a member of the creative team at the popular drama Grey's Anatomy. She is credited as an executive producer, and has also written episodes of the show. An episode Vernoff wrote, "Into You Like a Train", was nominated for a Best Writing Emmy Award.

Vernoff is credited with the introduction of the catchphrase, "seriously" into the dialogue of Grey's Anatomy episodes. Series creator Shonda Rhimes says that Vernoff used it frequently in the writer's room, and "said correctly, it can convey sarcasm, dismay, disbelief, a sense of moral and ethical superiority, and gentle chastising punishment, all at once."

According to Vernoff on the Grey's Anatomy iTunes Podcast, the episodes "Six Days Pt. 1 and 2" were written as a dedication to Vernoff's father, Bob Verne, who died in much the same way as Dr. George O'Malley's father in the series.

In May 2007, ABC announced that Vernoff would become showrunner and head writer of Grey's Anatomy effective fall 2007. Vernoff left her position with "Grey's Anatomy" in 2011.

Vernoff is also a playwright; a production of her play "Me, My Guitar, and Don Henley" opened in October 2006 in an off-Broadway theater.

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