In this episode of Octavia's Cure, host Dr. Stella Safo talks with Sonia Panigrahy about human centered design, and what it looks like to build healthcare solutions with, not for, the people who use them. This conversation asks what changes when patients and communities are treated as co-designers of their own care, and what it would take for that kind of collaboration to become the norm rather than the exception.

Our guest this week is Sonia Panigrahy is a national expert in human-centered design in healthcare. She has worked across health systems, payers, community health. She recently founded a healthcare design consulting practice.

Have you ever wondered what IS working in healthcare? And if something worked well, how can we learn from it? As an HIV primary care doctor, I know there are many lessons from the HIV epidemic we can borrow and adapt, and Dr. Oni Blackstock has so much rich wisdom to share on how community can check public health and research, and what it means to truly work together.

Dr. Oni Blackstock is a primary care physician and HIV doctor. She is the founder of Health Justice and was previously an Assistant Commissioner at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

In this episode of Octavia's Cure, host Dr. Stella Safo talks with Maia Laing and Florence “Flo” Rosser about patient advocacy, and what it really takes to show up for yourself or a loved one inside a healthcare system that doesn't always make that easy. They also discuss how to change things at the policy and system level. This is a conversation about knowledge, persistence, and community, and what patients and their advocates can teach the rest of us about navigating care with confidence.

In this introductory conversation, host Dr. Stella Safo and Creative Director and Producer Amanda Misiti swap seats — Amanda asks the questions — to explain why they built Octavia's Cure, where the name comes from, and what listeners can expect from Season One and beyond. They talk about the Octavia Butler novels that inspired the show's name and vision, the promise of authenticity and humility they're making to listeners, and the tools (like the Carry the Cure card) designed to make each conversation actionable. They close with a preview of the season's six episodes and a look ahead to fall 2026.

Dr. Stella Safo and Jessica Rivera dig into why the work of science is incomplete without communication, and what it would take to close the gap between the institutions doing the research and the public that's supposed to trust them. If you've ever wondered why public health messaging so often misses the mark, this episode offers a clear eyed, hopeful path forward.

Imani Powell is a scientist, advocate, and mother. She founded The Village Consulting, which partners with organizations to provide culturally grounded education, advocacy tools, and community centered support.