Longitudes Radio

The coronavirus pandemic is changing daily life as we know it. Society at large is grappling with how we live and work during a time when the only certainty is more uncertainty.

Behind the scenes, however, transportation and logistics workers move the healthcare supplies and medicines needed to fuel an effective response to a global problem.

Two experts with decades of healthcare logistics experience between them — UPS Healthcare President Wes Wheeler and Rob Feeney, CEO of Medvantx, a home delivery pharmacy — join Longitudes Radio to discuss the supply chain ramifications of coronavirus and other crises.

No longer an academic exercise, logistics leaders are responding in real time to a black swan event. They’re tackling questions of monumental importance: How to ensure medical deliveries for people and hospitals most in need? How to facilitate testing for coronavirus? And what is the role of telemedicine?

Logisticians are tapping into lessons from previous pandemics to get patients what they need, when they need it. They know if there’s any breakdown in the healthcare supply chain, it has a domino effect in communities spanning the globe — they must create a truly frictionless and transparent experience.

There are a number of factors, however, aiding healthcare logistics today, including the direct-to-patient supply chain and enhanced cold chain solutions. Such innovations are effectively moving healthcare from reactive to proactive, utilizing technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence to anticipate needs before they even arise.

With its recent realignment, UPS Healthcare delivers high-quality visibility, tracking and management options for critical healthcare shipments. Wheeler and Feeney look at the “network within a network” for UPS Healthcare products and services, as well as how the company’s Medvantx partnership will drive in-home treatments.

Looking forward, they also explore the development of coronavirus vaccines and how UPS will evolve amid the pandemic. We know this much: Whether coronavirus or any future healthcare challenge, logistics will be at the center of the solution.

This small business owner is shattering outdated perceptions of “beauty.” She’s also showcasing the business value of “revolutionary inclusivity.”

We’re living in uncertain times.

From Brexit to the rise of populism around the world, many are wondering what’s next for global institutions as we know them.

What about the state of free trade and transatlantic cooperation? Where does Asia fit into the equation? And how do we account for technologies like artificial intelligence?

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger knows a thing or two about the consequences of uncertainty. As the top U.S. diplomat under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford (1973-1977), he faced some of the most consequential foreign policy decisions of the 20th Century.

The elder statesman left an undeniable mark on history. But what does he think about where we stand today and the challenges that lie ahead?

For those answers and more, Karl Kaiser, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Center for International Security and Governance and Professor Emeritus at the Harvard Kennedy School, chatted with Secretary Kissinger in honor of the 200th anniversary of the University of Bonn in Germany.

When you hear the name Tim Brown (not the football player), the words design thinking are likely to follow.

As a leading influencer of the design thinking movement, Tim encourages companies to solve problems primarily through the lens of what people need. In other words, Tim wants us all to think more like designers.

In this episode of Longitudes Radio, kicking off a two-part series, the CEO and President of IDEO argues that big ideas aren’t the exclusive domain of “creative” types, saying the most effective organizations are those that give their people the permission to be creative – and even fail.

And the best leaders, Tim says, ask questions all the time, always wondering what their teams can do better and how they can unlock the potential in their people.

Given the rate of change and disruption in the world, global solutions require the active engagement and participation of agile team members, those who are willing to learn first and foremost from the customers they serve, Tim says.

He also discusses some common problem-solving pitfalls such as thinking too short term, falling into monotonous routines and giving up as soon as somebody questions your idea.

As Tim points out, a great idea doesn’t mean a whole lot ... unless you’re able to put it into action – and meet an actual need. Ultimately, that’s what design thinking is all about.