Stella A. Safo

Harvard-trained Internist, MD & MPH

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

SEAK BIO Bio: Stella Safo M.D., M.P.H. Stella Safo, M.D., M.P.H. is a Ghanaian-American practicing HIV primary care physician and public health practitioner who has led teams dedicated to healthcare improvement in various settings. In 2021, Dr. Safo created Just Equity for Health, a health care improvement company that uses advocacy, education and care model design to ensure equitable care delivery across all sectors of medicine. Trained at Harvard for her B.A., M.D. and M.P.H., Dr. Safo completed internal medicine training at Montefiore Health system in primary care, with a fellowship in HIV care through the HIV Medicine Association. As the former Senior Medical Director for Clinical Transformation at Mount Sinai Health System, Dr. Safo and a multidisciplinary team oversaw the system-wide redesign of Sinai’s 50+ primary care practices. This work included leading a practice transformation team to work within Sinai’s diverse eight-hospital system and launching a year-long learning collaborative of physicians and staff to share real-time insights. She then went on to lead a national healthcare consulting research group as Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at Premier Inc. There, she oversaw the Applied Science and Implementation Research teams that utilized Premier’s large healthcare database and real-world research to identify novel clinical findings that impact patient care. These findings were translated to health systems across the U.S. through a healthcare leaders collaborative that Dr. Safo led. Currently, Dr. Safo is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai where she holds dual appointments in Medicine and Medical Education. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Montefiore Medical System where she serves as the current Director for the Social Medicine Curriculum. Dr. Safo leads the Health Equity Curriculum for the Stanford Biodesign Policy Fellowship. Her research areas focus on qualitative analyses of challenges to healthcare delivery for historically marginalized populations around the world. She has lectured nationally and continues to teach and mentor students and trainees. In addition to collaborating on projects around equitable care model design and to a commitment to social justice work, Dr. Safo also provides clinical care to people living with HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ patients in New York and has done so for over 13 years. She is the winner of multiple awards including the Cullman Prize for excellence in patient care.