The Health Design Podcast

Based in Colorado, Risa August is an author, Speaker, Gestalt practitioner and Patient Advocate for rare pituitary diseases. She has been sharing her story for the past five years, and more recently in her memoir The Road Unpaved – Border to Border with a Brain Tumor and a Bike. In addition to speaking at conferences for leaders in pharmaceuticals, medical professionals, and patients, her work is...

Dr Sondra Butterworth is a visionary leader and advocate for equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Sondra’s work is particularly focused on inequalities within health and social care sectors for rare disease patients and communities in the global majority (ethnic minority). As a British born black black woman, with Afro-Caribbean roots tracing back to St. Kitts, Sondra's parents moved to the U...

Rucha Shah attained her Master of Science degree in Clinical Research Organization and Management from the Drexel University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. She further completed certificate coursework in Advancing Health Equity from ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group and Research Advocacy Network as well as certificate coursework in Artificial Intelligence in Pharma and Biotech from the Mas...

Dr. Rachna Rekhi is a board certified pediatrician and lifestyle medicine physician. Prior to attending medical school she earned a degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Florida. After university, she worked as a researcher in the Cardiology Department at Stanford University. She had aspirations of becoming a cardiologist until she attended medical school at McGill Univ...

Melanie Brooks is the author of the memoir A Hard Silence: One daughter remaps family, grief, and faith when HIV/AIDS changes it all (Vine Leaves Press, 2023) and Writing Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art from Trauma (Beacon Press, 2017) She teaches creative nonfiction in the M.F.A. program at Bay Path University and in the M.F.A. program at Western Connecticut State University an...

Megan-Claire Chase, aka Warrior Megsie, is a patient advocate and breast cancer survivor from Atlanta, Georgia. Her blog, Life on the Cancer Train, is famous for being authentic, raw, and informative, with a twist of humor, where she shares her experiences of being a young adult cancer survivor while advocating for better treatments and resources. The blog is syndicated on Cancer Health Magazine's...

Joy Rios, MBA, stands as a distinguished Health IT strategist and a recognized expert in value-based care payment models. Celebrated for her pioneering spirit, Joy was awarded the 2023 HIMSS Changemaker of the Year award for her significant contributions to women in health IT, underscoring her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the healthcare sector. As founder and host of the "HIT...

Sean Wachter's life is a remarkable narrative of resilience, determination, and transformation. After overcoming a life-changing accident, Sean faced a grueling health battle that led to the discovery of a golf ball-sized lesion in his cerebellum. Despite a challenging journey through misdiagnosis and the eventual confrontation with Stage 4 melanoma, including brain metastases and leptomeningeal d...

Nancy (she/her) is Breast Cancer Prevention Partners’ (BCPP) Director of Program and Policy and works at the state and federal levels to advance public policy to reduce exposures to toxic chemicals. Before joining BCPP, Nancy spent over 20 years in Washington DC advocating for numerous causes, including civil rights for women and the GLBTQ+ community. She graduated from the University of Pittsburg...

Jade Gibson’s connection to cancer presented itself at the age of 16 when she was diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer. The experience ignited a desire to help individuals and families affected by cancer, leading her to pursue studies at the Harold P. Freeman Patient Navigation Institute. There she received education on the newly developing field and learned how to apply the navigation model t...

Denise’s career in healthcare began in a critical access hospital in Washington state and expanded to serve organizations large and small across the US. After working in non-profit and for-profit healthcare sectors and the last decade in patient experience, Denise is now working to Make a Ruckus That Makes a Difference in healthcare. She brings her expertise, passion for serving frontline leaders...

Dr. Winemaker is a graduate of McMaster University Medical School. She has completed residency training in Family Medicine, and fellowship training in Palliative Medicine. Her clinical work is predominately community based, caring for people in their home. She is an associate clinical professor at McMaster University in the Department of Family Medicine, Division of Palliative Care. She has held m...

Sjögren's Syndrome patient and patient research partner for rheumatic diseases.

Salih Hendricks is a South African Diabetes Amputee Advocate and shares his lived experience with many around the world on platforms like, DEDOC.org, WHO, IDF, Diabetes South Africa, Diabetes SA Advocacy, American Limb Preservation Society, Bromley Diabetes UK Peer Support Group. He is a Board Member of Diabetes South Africa and South Africa Diabetes Advocacy. He does Peer Support and motivational...

Passionate. Unique. Loyal. Resilient. These words are commonly used to describe Sharron S. Rouse. Sharron is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of working in the education and nonprofit industries. She is skilled in program coordination, leadership, community outreach, and curriculum development. A native of the Washington, DC Metropolitan area, she has dedicated her life to influen...

Dr Chrysopoulo ("Dr C") is a board certified plastic surgeon, breast reconstruction surgeon and microsurgeon, and President of PRMA Plastic Surgery in San Antonio, TX. Dr C is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is an active member of the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM), and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) for which he has served on severa...

Annie-Danielle Grenier raises awareness and advocates for rare diseases, living with a few herself. She mostly does this as a writer, public speaker and through her blog turned website: Ma vie de zèbre (My Zebra Life). Annie-Danielle launched Ma vie de zèbre in 2013 because she had difficulty finding information in French on hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, her only rare diagnosis at the time,...

Samira is a healthcare strategy and design leader who has incubated and operated numerous healthcare startups. She is the founder and CEO of Manta Cares Inc., a global community of caregivers and survivors dedicated to transforming the cancer experience, a company that emerged from her experiences as a cancer survivor. Manta Cares designs and develops tools and resources that enable cancer survivo...

Shruti Mitkus is the Director of Genetic Education and Navigation at Global Genes, a leading rare disease patient advocacy organization. Shruti is a human molecular genetics scientist and genetics educator. She earned her doctorate in Human Genetics from University of Maryland Baltimore and completed her post-doctoral training at the National Institute of Mental Health, researching the genetic mec...

Estela was diagnosed with a progressive neuropathy called Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) at four years old, followed by her younger sister two years later. In 2002, she graduated from FIT with a Bachelor’s in Interior Design. Today, her professional background in design, marketing, trend forecasting, and creative direction brings an unexpected approach to connecting the disability community to wellness...

Dr. Sarah Parker Ward wants to help you think more affectionately about death so you can experience a healthier, more fulfilling life. Sarah holds a Ph. D. in Emerging Media Studies from Boston University where her research explored death cognition and related policy implications. She continues this thanatological work today both in practice and study as the co-founder of We Are Clio, a digital pl...

Neilanjan Nandi, MD, FACP is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Nandi's practice focuses on the management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD, eg, Crohn's disease, Ulcerative Colitis) and recurrent Clostridium difficile infection via Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT). Dr. Nandi serves on the executive council...

Erin Moore is a visionary leader and innovator focused on transforming healthcare and building a more equitable economy for health and care. As the founder of Meanwhile Health, Erin leverages her strengths in systems thinking, strategic management, and leadership to drive meaningful change. Erin is an exceptionally skilled communicator, serving as an advisor to executives and delivering compelling...

Dr. La Toya Luces-Sampson, affectionately known as Dr. Toya on social media, is a multi- faceted individual—a wife, mother, board-certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist, entrepreneur, speaker, and best-selling author. Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, she journeyed to the United States where she earned both her Bachelors and Medical Degrees from Howard University in an accelerated 6-year BS...

Terri Coutee is the Founder and Director of DiepCFoundation. She started the nonprofit organization in 2016, two years after her own successful breast reconstruction, to provide support, education, and resources for those affected by breast cancer facing mastectomy. Terri hosts the DiepCJourney podcast and the DiepC Foundation educational channel where she interviews surgeons, patients, healthcare...