Skip to content

Samir Panda

Samir Panda was an Odia Indian biomedical engineer from Gopalpur-on-Sea, Odisha. He moved to the United States at eighteen to study engineering at Harvard University, later earned a biomedical-engineering doctorate at Johns Hopkins University, and settled in Baltimore. Samir conceived and led Project Haven and later became CEO and co-founder of Haven Health, Inc.

Early Life and Family

Samir was born around 2001 and grew up in Gopalpur-on-Sea with his parents, Pradeep and Sunita Panda, and his older sister, Suchitra. He left Odisha in 2019 to attend Harvard.

During Samir’s doctoral program, Pradeep experienced a heart attack followed by a stroke. Suchitra coordinated their father’s care in Odisha while Samir remained in Baltimore. The family’s experience with remote caregiving influenced Samir’s interest in integrated home-monitoring technology.

The siblings kept in contact by phone and video, usually speaking Odia. Samir sent money and called for updates while Suchitra managed Pradeep’s appointments, medications, household, and day-to-day recovery.

Education and Career

Main article: Samir Panda (Career and Legacy)

Samir studied engineering at Harvard from approximately 2019 to 2023. He then entered the biomedical-engineering doctoral program at Johns Hopkins University and completed the degree around 2028.

Samir conceived Project Haven as an integrated contactless system for monitoring medically complex people at home. He led the engineering work and invited Logan Weston to contribute clinical and lived-experience expertise. Their collaboration shaped the project’s contactless design and caregiver-centered alerts.

Main article: Samir Panda and Logan Weston

Project Haven later became the foundation for Haven Health, Inc., where Samir served as CEO and co-founder.

Cultural Identity and Personal Life

Samir was Odia and spoke Odia and English. He was gay and came out after moving to the United States.

Samir lived in Baltimore with his partner, Dante Price. As an Indian immigrant and a Black American man, Samir and Dante supported each other through different experiences of racism without treating those experiences as interchangeable.

Health and Disabilities

Samir was autistic and had ADHD, migraines, and mild iron-deficiency anemia. His neurodivergence affected executive function, time management, sensory access, and periods of intense work. Dante helped him attend to food, sleep, and other physical needs during extended work periods.

Items and Personal Effects

Samir wore a rakhi from Suchitra and carried a Jagannath keychain connected to Odisha. He also kept a preferred fidget pen and used a practical watch as a grounding object.

Family and Core Relationships

Dante Price

Main article: Samir Panda and Dante Price

Dante was Samir’s partner. Their shared experience of ADHD shaped household organization and communication, while their different professional strengths supported each other’s work.

Suchitra Panda

Main article: Samir Panda and Suchitra Panda

Suchitra was Samir’s older sister and coordinated their parents’ household and Pradeep’s medical care in Odisha. She knew Samir was gay and accepted him fully, including while she managed pointed questions and silences about his sexuality within their extended family. She sent him a rakhi from Odisha for Raksha Bandhan when they could not be together.

Logan Weston

Logan became Samir’s Project Haven collaborator and friend. Samir led the engineering work, while Logan contributed clinical knowledge and disability-informed design priorities.

Priya Sharma and Kian Rashidi

Main article: Samir Panda and Priya Sharma

Main article: Samir Panda and Kian Rashidi

Priya Sharma mentored Samir at Harvard and encouraged his work at the intersection of engineering and public health. Kian Rashidi was a fellow international student and longtime friend.

Memorable Quotes

No verified exact quotation is currently available.

Characters Supporting Characters Living Characters Engineers Researchers Indian Characters South Asian Characters LGBTQ+ Characters Disabled Characters Neurodivergent Characters Autistic Characters Panda Family