Wellness Reimagined: Honeywell’s Robert Robinson On 5 Things That Should Be Done To Improve and Reform The Health & Wellness Industry

In our world of constant change, and with life moving faster than ever, topics such as mental health, self-care, and prevention have become popular buzzwords. But there are misconceptions about the meaning of self-care and exercise. Many opt for quick solutions — surgery, pills — to dull the problem without adequately addressing the underlying cause. Meanwhile, many parts of the industry are unregulated and oversaturated. People with years of training are competing with people with weekend training. Many providers are overworked, overwhelmed, and underpaid. The general public is not educated about asking the right questions when selecting a wellness provider. In the face of all this, what can be done to correct the status quo? In this interview series, we are seeking to hear from a variety of leaders in the health and wellness industries who agree that the wellness Industry is in need of an overhaul and offer suggestions about what can be done moving forward. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Robert Robinson.

Robert Robinson is currently Vice President & General Manager of Honeywell’s Healthcare Solutions business. Prior to his current role, Robert served as Vice President and Chief Product Officer for Honeywell’s Advanced Sensing Technologies business, where he led strategy marketing and product management organizations. In previous roles, Robert served as General Manager and Director of Product Management for Honeywell’s Electronic Sensing business. Prior to joining Honeywell, Robert was a Global Product Manager at Sensata Technologies (formerly Texas Instrument Sensors & Controls business), where he managed Sensata’s Aerospace & Power Management business. Robert has extensive experience in the sensors industry, which spans over 18 years and across various industries; including automotive, industrial, aerospace and medical. Robert holds a mechanical engineering degree from Virginia Tech, a systems & engineering management degree from George Washington University and a master of business administration from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Thank you so much for doing this interview. It is an honor. Our readers would love to learn more about you and your personal background. Can you please share your personal backstory? What has brought you to this point in your life?

Starting at a young age, I’ve always had an affinity for technology. During childhood I had a vision of becoming an engineer, and I started my career designing sensors which is what drove me to where I am today. I first encountered sensing technology for hybrid electric vehicles, and I quickly realized the potential for sensors across multiple industries. Today, I am the vice president and general manager for Honeywell’s Healthcare Solutions business within Honeywell Sensing and Safety Technologies, which designs and develops sensor-based components and solutions that enable MedTech companies, hospitals and providers to deliver better healthcare outcomes for patients.

What is your “why” behind the work that you do? What fuels you?

The greatest part of my job is the value we provide for people. At some point in our lives, we all deal with health challenges. The work we do at Honeywell helps patients get through those challenges and leave hospitals or health centers to live healthy, robust lives. It’s a very rewarding job.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now?

One of the most exciting projects I’m working on is a collaboration between Honeywell and several leading provider organizations across the world. Through MOUs with a large university hospital in Europe and a large healthcare service provider in India, we are co-developing advanced technologies to aid in the transformation of healthcare delivery globally. For example, an initial pilot with one of the hospitals involves testing skin patches for real-time monitoring of patients’ vital functions and making the data available via mobile app.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Proper communication is key. Early in my career, I had the opportunity to present to a customer’s leadership team on the progress of a project I was working on. During that meeting, the customer’s working team and I were not aligned on how we were presenting information to their leadership, which in the end led to the loss of the business altogether. While this may not be a particularly funny mistake, it was certainly one of the most important moments that I took a valuable lesson away from. When you work as a team from start to finish, you help each other understand where there may be issues or problems that need to be fixed. This leads to better collaboration and ultimately better business outcomes.

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. From where you stand, why are you passionate about the topic of Reimagining The Health and Wellness industries? Can you explain what you mean with a story or an example?

There are numerous challenges that the healthcare industry faces today, but there is also immense opportunity in properly leveraging advanced technologies. Take sensors, for example. With sensing technology, data can be captured and harnessed for predictive insight into healthcare delivery.

When I talk about Reimagining the Wellness industry, I am talking about reimagining it from the perspective of the providers as well as from the perspective of the recipients and patients. Can you share a few reasons why the status quo is not working for both providers and patients?

Providers are asked to do more and more with less time and they’re rapidly getting burnt out, with many unfortunately leaving the field altogether. We must give providers the tools and resources to do their jobs more effectively and allow them to focus or spend more time on clinical operations. At the same time, patients deserve a future where every individual has access to high-quality care — where and when they need it.

Why do you think there is a good opportunity now to improve and reform the health and wellness industry?

The past few years have presented a myriad of trials for already-stretched health systems, and over the next few years, the healthcare industry is expected to face an even greater surge in demand coupled with more rigorous cost-control pressures. According to the 2020 Profile of Older Americans, there will be about 80.8 million people older than 65 in the United States by 2040, more than twice as many as in 2000. Those older than 65 are more likely to have chronic diseases than younger populations, so we must optimize health systems to support this group who will require medical care. Fortunately, we increasingly have access to emerging technologies to help address today’s most pressing health and wellness challenges, which will help streamline processes in care delivery.

Can you please share your “5 Things That Should Be Done To Improve and Reform The Health & Wellness Industry”? Please share an example or story for each if you can.

1. Pave the way for the advancement of delivering care at home. By treating patients in their homes or anywhere outside of the hospital walls, we can free up beds for emergency patients and reduce costs.
2. Address the critical clinician shortage by making their jobs easier and more efficient through sensors and patient monitoring technology. Solutions like bed management systems and integrated nurse call systems help increase the bandwidth of doctors, nurses and caregivers.
3. Build advancements in drug delivery. 1 in 3 adults has prediabetes, but more than 80% of that population doesn’t know they are prediabetic. More and younger patients will require insulin over the next few decades and innovations around drug delivery to infuse medications into the human body will be critical.
4. Double down on building and developing new and innovative therapies to support a growing pool of patients with respiratory diseases.
5. Align regulatory policy to enable easier adoption of emerging technology into the healthcare space, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.

From the recipient and patient side of the industry, can you please share a few ways that patients and recipients should reimagine what the wellness and healthcare industry should provide?

As we look toward the future of healthcare delivery, patient wellbeing needs to be the focus no matter where they are on the continuum of care — from preventive interventions, diagnoses, to rehabilitation and treatment. Whether in the hospital, at an ancillary health center for chronic conditions such as at dialysis centers, or if patients are receiving care at home, they should have access to high quality care enabled by technology to help aid the recovery process.

What do you think are the biggest roadblocks to reforming the industry? What can be done to address those hurdles?

The healthcare industry has historically been slow to adopt new processes and technologies compared to other industries. There should be a focus on investing in productivity solutions to enable clinicians to be more efficient and treat more patients, especially as the pool of sick individuals continues to grow.

I’m very passionate about the topic of proactive versus reactive self-care and healthcare. What do you think can be done to shift the industries towards a proactive healthcare approach? How can we shift the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike?

The democratization of healthcare data is a key component in shifting the industry towards a more proactive healthcare approach. Bringing technology closer to the patient, either ‘in-home’ or ‘mobile,’ will help make healthcare data more available and accessible to patients, helping identify health problems that may need to be addressed so patients can take action at an earlier stage.

Thank you for all that great insight! Let’s start wrapping up. Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” — Nelson Mandela

This quote has always resonated with me because it shows that with courage, discipline and hard work you can achieve things that may seem impossible from the onset.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them.

If I could have a private breakfast or lunch with any one person, it would be Nelson Mandela. Although he is not here today, he is someone that I have looked up to since a very young age. Growing up in Nigeria, I would watch the news and learned his story of the years he spent in jail, followed by bringing a nation together and serving as South Africa’s president, leading with compassion. He was a true leader, and shows that with the right focus, the right team, and with compassion you can accomplish anything.

I appreciate your time and valuable contribution. One last question, how can people reach or follow you?

You can learn more about the work my team and I are doing at Honeywell for enhanced healthcare delivery by visiting the Honeywell website.

Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.

About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.