Wednesday Edition

Question your successes as much as your failures (Strategy + Business)

We are rapidly approaching the three-year anniversary of the start of the pandemic. Anybody running a business during this period has experienced the stomach-churning ride of this roller-coaster economy—the freefall at the outset, followed by surging demand, and now, with the war in Ukraine, the likelihood of a global slowdown. The leaders who have managed through these turbulent times have learned a lot about how to navigate crises. But strengthening muscles for dealing with uncertainty can mean less time for another crucial leadership discipline: interrogating the how and why behind a success. More…

The Essentials: Empathy and Quality Connections (Neuro Leadership)

Leaders and HR professionals are recognizing the need for empathy in the workplace more than ever before, but definitions of empathy vary — and even the term makes some leaders squeamish. Below, we’ve tried to reduce the confusion surrounding the nebulous term by focusing on the outcome: quality connections among co-workers. Research shows that such connections can reduce burnout, energize workers and leaders, and make everyone feel cared for. More…

Diabetes patients in B.C. face unreasonable challenges getting vital drug through PharmaCare, doctors say (CBC)

B.C. doctors who treat diabetes say they've been forced to jump through hoops to get coverage for potentially life-saving drugs, including making patients try cheaper but more dangerous alternatives first.

Dr. Ali Zentner, a Vancouver specialist in internal medicine and obesity, said game-changing new drugs and devices for diabetes patients have appeared in recent years. That includes pharmaceuticals like Ozempic for people with Type 2 diabetes, which also helps with weight loss and reduces the chance of heart attack or stroke and continuous glucose monitoring, which tracks glucose levels every few minutes. More…

These UV Devices Could Keep Indoor Air Free of Viruses (Scientific American)

The Boston piano bar where Edward Nardell sings cabaret songs would typically be an ideal setting for airborne diseases to spread. But Nardell and his audience are protected from the COVID-19 pandemic by the far-ultraviolet (UV) lights that he had installed to shine down from the ceiling. Far UV is an emerging form of germicidal UV (GUV) irradiation, a well-established disinfection technology and growing resource in the battle against the virus SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens that can spread easily through the air in enclosed spaces. More…

Reflection Room: Exploring pandemic-related grief in long-term care homes (The Conversation)

The COVID-19 pandemic created a tremendous amount of collective loss and grieving that requires care and support. This was as true in residential long-term care (LTC) homes, which continue to experience pandemic-related challenges, as in hospitals and among the general public. Through the Reflection Room project, our interdisciplinary team of researchers is partnering with LTC homes in Ontario to create physical spaces to pause, reflect, connect and process grief. More…