Design for Change Interviews

Host Sheela Sethuraman, a Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent, asks accomplished social entrepreneurs how their organization is designed and managed to create change. As Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent, she conducts interviews with accomplished social entrepreneurs around the world about the innovations that are transforming the way people learn.

Sheela Sethuraman has over 14 years of experience in educational design, multimedia production and technology management. As Founder and Executive Director of Eduweave, Sheela has collaborated with local and international organizations, like UNESCO, in adapting and using the digital storytelling curriculum with youth in diverse settings. Sheela was also Project Director for a recently concluded study by Pearson Education to evaluate technologically innovative assessment items based on Common Core State Standards.

Sheela is an accomplished multimedia producer and has created numerous short form videos for various clients. She is currently working on a startup idea - an internet platform for students to create and curate their learning strategies.

Prior to this, Sheela was Director of Technology at CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology), a premier R&D organization focusing on diverse learner needs. She has been a member of various consortiums such as Web Access Initiative (WAI), National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) and Open eBook Forum. She is also a seasoned trainer and workshop facilitator.

Sheela has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Government College of Technology (India), a master’s degree in Film and Video Production from Mass Communication Research Center (India) and a master’s degree in Educational Technology from Michigan State University (USA).

Latest

Podcast

Mechai Viravaidya - The “Condom King” Takes on Public Health

When most people think of condoms, they get a little embarrassed and uncomfortable, but not Mechai Viravaidya. Known in Thailand as the "Condom King" Viravaidya began nearly 40 years ago trying to demystify condoms and focus public attention on the public health aspects of contraceptives. Since then, he has become a leader in critical public health issues like poverty, family planning, and HIV/AIDS. In this interview with host Sheela Sethuraman, Viravaidya offers pragmatic answers to these problems.

Podcast

Magda Iskander - Healthcare for the Homebound

Having an elderly parent with failing health and being unable to provide adequate care out of one's home poses a difficult enough challenge in the United States, let alone in Cairo, Egypt, where home services are scarce. In this audio interview with host Sheela Sethuraman, Magda Iskander describes how she founded Care With Love to fill the need in Cairo for short or long term home healthcare through well-trained and compassionate home health care providers.

Podcast

Dr. Christopher Elias - Advancing Technology to Improve Health

PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology and Health) is a nonprofit organization designed to ensure that the benefits of innovation in science and technology are available to developing countries and remotely located, low-income groups. In this audio interview, host Sheela Sethuraman speaks with Dr. Christopher Elias, president and CEO of PATH, about the PATH's origins, accomplishments, and challenges.

Podcast

Andrea Coleman - Keeping Healthcare Mobile Saves Lives

Many areas of rural Africa suffer from a lack of healthcare delivery. In this audio interview with host Sheela Sethuraman, Andrea Coleman explains how she and her husband founded Riders for Health to provide life-saving assistance to such regions. She outlines how the organization uses motorcycles, in particular, to transport healthcare providers and medical goods, and how it has created a sustainable approach.

Podcast

Thulasiraj Ravilla - Aravind: Sustainable Healthcare

How did a free eye clinic that started in a house in south India in 1976 grow to become Asia's first international training facility for blindness prevention workers? In this audio interview, host Sheela Sethuraman speaks with Thulasiraj Ravilla from the Aravind Eye Care System. Ravilla concentrates on the innovative approaches that Aravind has developed to become a model for high-quality, low-cost health care.

Most Popular

Podcast

Jeff Mason - Improving Philanthropy Effectiveness

How do we know that the nonprofit organizations we support are actually effective? In this audio interview, host Sheela Sethuraman converses with Jeff Mason about his efforts, along with key organizational leaders, to develop an assessment tool that evaluates nonprofit management performances. Their work could become a major contribution to the world of philanthropy.

Podcast

Rafael Alvarez - Preparing Students to Succeed

While volunteering at a charter school, Rafael Alvarez was confronted with some shocking information—hardly any students in the senior class had plans to attend college. So, in true social entrepreneurial fashion, he decided to match up this under-served market with another under-served market, entry level IT. Talking with Design for Change host Sheela Sethuraman in this audio interview, he explains how Genesys Works prepares students technically and professionally to enter a corporate environment and change their lives.

Podcast

Brij Kothari - Literacy Through Entertainment

What do you get when you combine a love of Bollywood music videos with widespread illiteracy? Brij Kothari sees an opportunity to make the world a better place. By subtitling popular entertainment, he helps millions learn to read in a fun way. He's also creating multiplatform stories that will be seen on TV, read on mobile phones, and printed in books. Talking to Design for Change host Sheela Sethuraman in this audio interview, Kothari describes how he improves lives by incorporating education into everyday entertainment.

Podcast

Anant Kumar - Healthcare for All at Lifespring Hospitals

India has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. This points to an underlying economic problem: poverty. Most poor women in that country simply cannot afford adequate health care. In this audio interview with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman, Anant Kumar talks about how Lifespring Hospital in India provides quality care to women and children, regardless of their level of income. He talks about how the effort was launched, how it is sustained, and future goals.

Podcast

Chetna Gala Sinha - International Development Through Women

Microfinance has become a staple of international development. In this audio interview, Chetna Gala-Sinha talks with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman about how her micro-enterprise development bank and foundation are economically empowering rural women in India. She describes the various tools and services that allow women to become financially independent, provide more adequately for their families, and drive international development.

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