Complex systems work better when we understand the people, processes, and information within them.
I work at the intersection of healthcare systems, technology, and lived experience. As a Business Systems Analyst and patient advocate, I translate complex requirements into practical, trustworthy solutions designed around the people who rely on them.
NEW BOOK ALERT
The Informed Patient’s Guide to AI
How to understand, question, and use AI in your healthcare
AI is becoming part of healthcare. This practical guide helps patients understand where AI may appear in their care, ask better questions, and stay informed in healthcare decisions.
Bring This to Your Next Appointment
A free printable guide to asking better questions when AI is part of your care — from Sarayah B Obonyo, MSIM, author of The Informed Patient's Guide to AI.
A Different Perspective
Healthcare shaped my life long before it became my research.
Living with Takayasu's arteritis gave me a perspective no textbook could teach. The weight of being unheard, the cost of delayed diagnosis, and the life-changing power of compassionate care.
That lived experience now drives my work. I collaborate with researchers, clinicians, and healthcare organizations to improve how information supports patients and the people who care for them.
The most meaningful healthcare innovations happen when scientific expertise and lived experience work together.
How I Contribute
Patient Partnership
01
Bringing the patient voice into research, healthcare improvement, and decision-making.
Research
02
Exploring how information quality, communication, and technology influence healthcare experiences and outcomes.
Speaking
03
Sharing insights on patient partnership, health information, rare disease, and healthcare innovation.
Human-Centered Design
04
Designing solutions that place patients, families, and communities at the center of healthcare.
Selected Work
Every project begins with the same question:
From diagnostic delay and price transparency to patient communication and health equity. My work focuses on making healthcare information more accessible, understandable, and meaningful for the people it serves
I don't believe meaningful healthcare improvement happens by designing for patients.
It happens by designing with them.
My work is grounded in curiosity, collaboration, and the belief that patients bring a form of expertise that cannot be measured in clinical trials alone. When researchers, clinicians, designers, and patients work together, we ask better questions, build better solutions, and create healthcare that reflects the realities of the people it serves.
My Approach
Current Focus
Patient-centered outcomes research
Rare disease
Health information quality
Artificial intelligence in healthcare
Diagnostic excellence
Health equity
Information policy
Patient engagement
Let’s Work Together Toward Better Healthcare
Whether you're a researcher seeking a patient research partner, a healthcare organization pursuing meaningful patient engagement, a conference organizer exploring healthcare innovation, or a team building more human-centered solutions — reach out.
The best ideas emerge when people with different experiences unite around a shared purpose.