Aug 1, 2026 · 28 min · 10 segments
How do we talk about science in a way people can actually trust? In this episode of Octavia's Cure, host Dr. Stella Safo talks with…
Stella SafoHost
I'm Dr. Stella Safo, an HIV primary care provider and public health practitioner.
Today, we're talking about something that became painfully clear during the pandemic.
Public health is only as strong as the trust people have in it, and right now, that trust is deeply fractured.
We saw it play out with institutions that did not prioritize transparency and with public health that seemed politically motivated and partisan rather than impartial.
There are people working tirelessly to change the opaqueness of public health, people who believe that trust can be rebuilt through honest communication, through showing the data clearly, through acknowledging what we do and don't know, and through centering the communities most impacted by crises like maternal health, the opioid epidemic, and gun violence.
We believe that the kind of public health that actually protects people has to start with trust, and trust is built through clear communication, accountability, and showing up differently.
She's a trusted epidemiologist and science communicator who knows what it takes to communicate complex information with clarity and integrity, and how to do it in ways that build trust.
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