7 Experts Tell Us Why They're Hopeful for the Future

For the past year, the pandemic has altered nearly every aspect of our lives and some of those changes, particularly those in healthcare, are likely here to stay. 

While no one can predict what the world will look like post-COVID-19, with multiple vaccines approved and the rollout well underway, we’re pausing to reflect on the lessons learned and looking to the future.

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That’s why we asked industry leading experts: One year into the pandemic, what gives you the most hope about the future?

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It’s the collaboration across different stakeholders that makes me most hopeful. From the marketing and analytics side, life sciences, academics, and the regulators…. It’s about going beyond everybody's individual incentives and seeing that public health is something that affects all of us.

— Vera Mucaj, PhD, Head of Trials & Chief Scientist, Datavant

The past 12 months have been hard! And not just because of the pandemic, but very importantly because it so clearly highlighted and laid bare the inequities and broken systems within our society. All sectors of society are now more focused than ever on fixing disparities and rebuilding the infrastructures around education, healthcare, and the economy. My hope is that this and all the work that’s been done to drive change is a turning point for the future. That this moment and movement doesn’t stop.

— Heidi Arthur, Chief Campaign Development Officer, The Ad Council

This pandemic has renewed my hope in the spirit of human sacrifice and commitment. Navigating this pandemic has really shone light on the power of one person to make a significant difference…. for better or for worse. Watching my colleagues roll up their sleeves to take the first doses of the COVID vaccine and transparently share their experiences with others reminds me that I am called to lead from the front. Over the last year, I’ve seen so many examples of people shifting from a “the glass is half empty” situation to a “my cup runneth over” perspective. It is refreshing and keeps me hopeful. Yes, we do things differently and we do different things…. but we’ve grown unimaginably. We work differently. Our children have learned to learn differently. We worship differently. Birthdays are celebrated differently. Now, life begins and ends differently. The sum of these changes represents the “stretch” that only the human spirit is capable of navigating.

— Khandra Tyler-Beynum, MD, Chief Medical Officer, CLIO Consulting LLC

I tend toward optimism in general. One can’t work in startups without having an almost unhealthy belief in the best possible of all outcomes. While COVID did expose so much of what is broken in our political and social systems, it also revealed the power of what can be achieved when groups of people lean wholeheartedly into what they believe in. We saw the power of activists and protesters who shone a light on the systemic racism in our country; we saw the power of community organizers dethrone the political machine that was threatening our democracy; and you saw scientists stand up against gaslighting and misinformation to create vaccines in record time. We have much more work to do but these examples make me hopeful of the future we’re building for our children. 

— Angie Lee, Global Head of Brand and Marketing, Samsung Next

It’s the young people—this new generation of entrepreneurs—who are doing really interesting and innovative things…. They’re not settling and they’re pushing it. That makes me very hopeful and excited.

— Bunny Ellerin,  Co-Founder & CEO, NYC Health Business Leaders

I am hopeful not only because we have a vaccination, but one where the efficacy is very high…. I think we should really celebrate that. It also makes me hopeful that we have these great leaders like Fauci and other trusted sources who are saying that we can get back to where we were.

— Tina McCorkindale, PhD, President & CEO, Institute for Public Relations

As a culture, society, and global community, we've shown a tremendous amount of ingenuity, not just in our scientific ability to come up with therapy for this problem but also in how we figured out remote school and church, and new ways to support local businesses and bond with colleagues—that ingenuity is exciting and is something that has really come out of this.

— Daniel Miers,  Chief Strategy Officer, SPM

To get more insights from these thought leaders — read PulsePoint’s latest special report: The Marketer’s Guide to Taking the Vaccine Viral.