The Health Design Podcast

Professor Gary David returns to The Health Design Podcast to explore how we can design experiences that foster connection, belonging, and shared meaning — especially in healthcare settings. Drawing on his background as a sociologist and experience designer, Gary discusses the concept of "communities of the moment" — how shared experiences, from ringing the bell after chemotherapy to using inclusiv...

Dr. Eugene Manley joins the Health Design podcast to share a harrowing personal experience navigating the US healthcare system after foot surgery. While on Medicaid, he encountered medical racism, falsified chart notes, and a hospital system determined to discharge him before he was ready — despite his surgeon's objections. He describes how physical therapists misrepresented his condition in his r...

What happens when the surgeon becomes the patient? In this episode of the Health Design Podcast, we revisit a conversation with Minas Chrysopoulo — world-class breast surgeon and returning guest — who shares the story of a sudden and life-altering diagnosis that changed everything. In the summer of 2023, Minas woke up with stiffness and numbness in his hands. What followed was a diagnosis of psori...

In this episode of the Health Design Podcast, host Moyez Jiwa speaks with Laura Morris, an interior designer at Perkins&Will who specializes in healthcare environments. Laura shares her passion for designing spaces that support the whole patient — not just the clinical procedure — with a particular focus on women's health. The conversation centers on the Nemours Children's Hospital Advanced Delive...

When Doctors Become Caregivers: Supporting Carers, Community Health, and the Limits of Quick Fixes On the Health Design Podcast, Moyez Jiwa speaks with physician Tyson Garfield about how his perspective on patient experience shifted after his partner was diagnosed with a mucinous borderline ovarian tumor, underwent radical surgery, and faced a prolonged recovery that felt fractured despite good su...

Dr. Tim McLerran is a physician-turned product leader with a mission to bring human and machine intelligence together in the service of clinical challenges. During a research fellowship at the University of California, San Diego, Tim co-developed methods to rapidly measure the molecular milieu of human blood using mass spectrometry. This exposed him to the massive volume of data in precision medic...

Jill Wener, MD is a board-certified Internist, ICF-certified professional coach, certified EFT/tapping practitioner and trainer, anti-racism educator, DEI consultant, trauma specialist, allyship coach, and expert in physician wellness. Jill is passionate about helping people take responsibility for their problems and teaching them practical, easy, rewarding, and trauma-informed tools to take self-...

Dr. Lattisha Bilbrew is a board-certified Orthopaedic Surgeon specializing in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery and the first Black woman to become a partner at Resurgens Orthopaedics—Georgia’s largest orthopedic practice. She is one of fewer than five practicing Black female orthopaedic surgeons in the entire state, breaking barriers in a field where fewer than 2% of surgeons are women of color. B...

Simply Estate Services exists to take executors from overwhelmed to fully supported, and our work reflects the lived experience behind that mission. April grew up navigating three contested grandparents estates, and those years shaped the foundation of what we do today. Executors often inherit responsibility without guidance, and the weight of decisions, timelines, and family dynamics can stop pro...

In this episode, Dr Michelle Ossmann, nurse practitioner and socio-spatial scientist, explores hospitality in healthcare, ICU design, and evidence-based healthcare architecture. Dr. Ossmann is the global research director for MillerKnoll. Trained as a socio-spatial scientist and nurse practitioner, she leads the research team to investigate front-end innovation and back-end organizational outcomes...

Karen is a Higher Education Market Leader with expertise in Medical and Health Sciences Education. Passionate about making the world a better place by creating spaces that bring people together, she has contributed to the design innovation of notable projects across the continental US. She specializes in medical, nursing, and health professions higher education facilities including the programming...

Carolyn Philstrom is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and works as a healthcare chaplain, with experience at both a major academic teaching hospital and in hospice. She lives with her husband Rory and their two children Edan, 7 and Josephine 3. Edan was one of the first humans to be diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy on the newborn screen in Minnesota and was...

Perry Ashenfelter is a licensed architect passionate about creating healthier environments that bridge the relationship between architectural design, sustainability, and the urban experience. Her professional work spans a large range of scales from residential to higher education and healthcare, as well as large scale urban resilience projects. Perry has a diverse background with extensive constru...

Nicole is a well-being centered Industrial-Organizational Psychologist. Founder of Humanalysts – which is dedicated to democratizing the employee experience. She is an advocate for employee wellbeing and harm reduction, educating employees and employers on what workplace harm, trauma, or abuse can look like and how to stop it. She brings in multidisciplinary experience as an analyst to executives...

Dr. Chelsea Turgeon is a business mentor and founder of The Spiritually Ambitious Entrepreneur podcast and community. She left OBGYN residency in 2019 and built a six-figure coaching business from cafés around the world. If you want to build a business that feels like *you*, changes lives, and funds your freedom, subscribe to *The Spiritually Ambitious* Substack.

Eric is a strategist focused on designing experiences people genuinely desire. Over nearly 20 years, he’s worked across hospitality, transportation, and member-based communities—domains where brand, environment, and service design meet. His portfolio includes global experience strategy for Hilton’s luxury brands, premium mobility design at Uber, and the member experience vision for NeueHouse. That...

Usually, I feel like a Nincompoop. I am embarrassed. I feel like a failure. I can't do things right. Always. But, it means I try. As an Associate Professor of Strategy and Innovation at Florida State University, I study how firms innovate and learn from failure. I have (co)founded three ventures, one failed, two are doing okay. One is R3ciprocity.com, a platform for researchers to create "non-reje...

Peter Quarry studied psychology at Melbourne University in the mid-1970s. He worked initially as a counsellor of the unemployed, then pivoted to public speaking, workshop facilitation and content creation. In the 1980s, he co-founded Ash Quarry Productions and became the on-screen expert presenter of corporate training videos that, over the next two decades, gained global recognition. His work was...

Laura Nelson is the co-founder of Sober Life Rocks and author of The Inclusive Event Planner. With a strong background in leadership and events, she champions sober-inclusive gatherings that foster real connection. Her work is inspired by her own sobriety journey and a mission to help professionals design meaningful, welcoming experiences for all. She is also excited about their first conference,...

Brandi Mac is a critical care nurse practitioner, addiction reform advocate, and author of Do What You Can Live With: A Survival Guide for Families Navigating Addiction, Grief, and Impossible Choices. Blending clinical insight with lived experience as the mother of a daughter in recovery, Brandi’s work centers on trauma-informed, harm-reduction, and family-centered care. Through her writing, speak...

Dr John Malios is an experienced general practitioner and medico-legal examiner, retiring after a 50-year career in general practice. He founded the Oakleigh and District Health Centre (now The General Practitioner) in 1972 and went on to serve as Convenor of Medical Panels Victoria (2012–2017) and Deputy Convenor (2007–2012). He continues to contribute as a Presiding Member on Medical Panel Tribu...

Parker LaCombe is a passionate advocate, strategist, and internationally recognized subject matter expert in mental health, peer support, and systems transformation. As the co-founder of MindCareConnect and firm believer that recovery is possible for all who navigate mental health and substance use challenges, Parker uses her lived experience to bridge the gap between clinical and peer perspective...

Terry Tucker is a speaker, author, and podcast guest on the topics of mindset, motivation, and self-development. He is the Founder of Motivational Check LLC. Terry has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from The Citadel and a Master’s degree from Boston University. Among his many diverse roles, he has been a college basketball player, a marketing executive, a hospital administ...

Stephen Garner is a patient researching their own disease, exploring the frontiers of human knowledge, and developing new frameworks as an ethical theorist. After reducing the severity and frequency of his own autoimmune symptoms through targeted nutrition, biochemical modeling, and self-experimentation, Stephen now shares his experience, and findings, to help others better understand and manage c...

DR ALASTAIR SANTHOUSE is a consultant neuropsychiatrist working at the Maudsley Hospital in London. He began his medical career working in internal medicine before retraining to become a psychiatrist. He is a fellow of both the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and formerly served as president of the Psychiatry Section of The Royal Society of Medicine, as well as...