LeanBlog Podcast #89 – Keith Russell, Ph.D., Lean in Pharma R&D

Our guest for Podcast #89 is Keith Russell, a Global Continuous Improvement Leader at AstraZeneca R&D. I met Keith at a recent Lean & Six Sigma conference for Pharma R&D where we both presented.

Keith has substantial in-house R&D experience across the entire value stream and currently works with Global Drug Development. He is particularly interested in Design and Innovation and the application of Systems Thinking to complex Business problems. Keith has a Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of Cambridge.

In this podcast, we discuss the applications of Lean and Six Sigma in a space that we’ve never talked about here – pharmaceutical development. How do you use Lean principles in such a technical field and how do you engage the highly educated scientists who do this work?

For earlier episodes, visit the main Podcast page, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes.

You can use the player (use the VCR-type controls) at the top of the post to listen to a “streaming” version of the podcast (or click here for the streaming audio and RSS subscription). The streaming link is faster for one-time listening (hardly any delay to start listening). Or you can use the download link to put it on your iPod or other MP3 player.

If you have feedback on the podcast, or any questions for me or my guests, you can email me at leanpodcast@gmail.com or you can call and leave a voicemail by calling the “Lean Line” at (817) 776-LEAN (817-776-5326) or contact me via Skype id “mgraban”. Please give your location and your first name. Any comments (email or voicemail) might be used in follow ups to the podcast.

About LeanBlog.org: Mark Graban is a consultant, author, and speaker in the “lean healthcare” methodology, focused on improving quality and patient safety, improving access, reducing costs, and fully engaging healthcare professionals. He is also the Chief Improvement Officer for KaiNexus.