Octavia’s Cure

A Conversation Series About the Future of Healthcare

We're living through a moment of rupture, and trust in healthcare and public health institutions is fracturing. For communities that have long been underserved by these systems, that loss of trust is rooted in generations of inequity, exclusion, and harm.

Octavia's Cure was created by physician, advocate, and Just Equity for Health founder Dr. Stella Safo, because crisis can also be a time of innovation.

This work invites us to stop asking why the system is failing, and start imagining how we can build something better.

Hosted by Stella Safo, MD, MPH

Presented by Just Equity for Health (JEH)

New Episodes!

Octavia's Cure draws its name from the spirit of Octavia Butler, a Black woman writer who was a visionary, futurist, and truthteller.

Ms. Butler didn’t look away from hard truths; rather, she looked through them and, in doing so, showed us what was possible on the other side. That’s what our series aims to do: explore what becomes possible when we stop accepting that broken systems as inevitable, and come together to begin imagining what else we can create.

DR. STELLA SAFO

What is Octavia’s Cure?

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Joshua Trujillo via AP →

Each episode is a conversation with people who know healthcare from the inside out, and from the ground up:

  • Patients navigating broken systems

  • Clinicians delivering care under impossible conditions

  • Organizers creating community solutions

  • Designers building new models

  • Community members whose experiences are too often overlooked

These are the voices helping us envision new possibilities.

How it Works

Octavia's Cure releases in seasons, with focused episodes that go deep on a theme, then pause so listeners can process, reflect and carry the ideas forward.

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Octavia's Cure feels authentic, conversational, and intentional. This isn’t a podcast that exists because someone thought they should start one. It exists because they had something important to contribute to the dialogue on the future of healthcare.

Kari K.

While navigating a health challenge, I definitely experienced some of the nihilistic feelings Dr. Safo references. What a great reframe for what I had been feeling.

Mariah K.

Dr. Stella Safo is an incredible host! So smart and inspirational — I had to share this podcast with multiple colleagues and friends!

Joy D.

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Meet the Octavia’s Cure Team

Host & Executive Producer

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Creative Director & Producer

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Digital Content Producer

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Post-Production Producer

Join the Conversation

Together, we’ll ask and explore the big questions:

What does healthcare look like when it actually meets your needs? What does public health look like when it improves health for all and not just some? What does it take to build systems worthy of trust? How can we all help build these systems better?

That’s Octavia's Cure. Welcome to the conversation.

Contact us with comments or questions at:

info@justequityforhealth.com

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