News and Events
News Content
March 2023
Exploring Ways to Repurpose Agricultural Waste into Value-Added Products
A new article from Michigan State University discusses how the Axia Institute’s Dr. Bahar Aliakbarian is exploring innovative ways to repurpose agricultural waste and create value-added products.
February 2023
Axia Whitepaper on Orientation Positions for Testing
This case study conducted by researchers at the Axia Institute aims to provide testing protocols and determine the effects of sample orientation and drug formulation on the readability of RAIN RFID-tagged syringes.
John Hatfield Shares Presentation on Value Chain and Innovation at an Event Hosted by the Midland Business Alliance
The Midland Business Alliance recently held a luncheon for entrepreneurs and innovators featuring a presentation by the Axia Institute’s Executive Director, John Hatfield. The event was sponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and was well-attended by a variety of business leaders and entrepreneurs interested in learning more about value chains and innovation.
December 2022
Dr. Bahar Aliakbarian Teaches at University of Genoa as Visiting Professor
Dr. Bahar Aliakbarian travels to Genoa, Italy to teach at University of Genoa’s Department of Civil, Chemical, and Environmental Engineering (DICCA) to Ph.D. and Master’s students.
November 2022
Axia Institute Offices Relocate to MSU St. Andrews
Michigan State University’s Axia Institute is pleased to announce that it will be moving to the MSU St. Andrews research facility at 1910 W. St Andrews Rd, in Midland from its offices in Midland’s East End building at the end of 2022.
October 2022
Bahar Aliakbarian presents at RAIN RFID Alliance’s Healthcare Workgroup
Axia’s Bahar Aliakbarian, PhD traveled to South Carolina to facilitate RAIN RFID Alliance’s Healthcare Workgroup in an informative discussion on TIPP for RAIN Tagged Medications. During the session, she lead the audience through Axia’s approach to define TIPP grades for pharmaceuticals and the extensive testing capabilities housed in Axia Lab.
Axia’s Value Chain Summit
The Axia Institute hosted a Value Chain Summit, Managing Disruption in Hyper Connected Value Chains, on October 24 – 25, in Midland, Michigan.
September 2022
Potential Impact of Digital Technology Solutions on The New Soo Locks
The Axia Institute’s Dr. Aliakbarian and Michigan State University’s David Closs conducted interviews and soo locks activity level research to evaluate various digital technology solutions for the construction and operation of the second soo lock in the Axia Institute’s newly published white paper.
Interoperable RFID End-to-End Pilot Planning
The Axia Institute held an Interoperable RFID End-to-End Pilot Planning in early August with several shareholders along the healthcare value chain. Read more to learn about the objectives and next steps of the pilot.
August 2022
Student Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) In Smart Food Packaging Research Led by Dr. Bahar Aliakbarian
The Axia Lab hosted two high school fellows this summer as a part of Michigan State University St Andrews Fellowship Program. Dr. Bahar Aliakbarian served as their preceptor as they conducted RFID Smart Food Packaging Research.
July 2022
Additional Axia Student Interns
Please join us in welcoming Aditya and Sentthur to The Axia Institute for their Internships!
June 2022
The Axia Institute’s Bahar Aliakbarian Presents on Sustainability in Helsinki, Findland
RFID has shown great potential regarding sustainability in the healthcare industry. The Axia Institute’s Director of Research and Development, Bahar Aliakbarian, presents in Helsinki, Finland and elaborates on the crucial role RFID can have in the sustainability of our healthcare system.
Summer 2022 Interns
Please join us in welcoming Angelica and Joey to The Axia Institute for their Summer Internships!
May 2022
RFID Uses, Benefits, and Costs: Literature Review and Key Informant Interviews
Hospital systems are seeking processes and technologies that will create a better patient experience while also reducing costs. The Axia Institute, with support from IntelliGuard, has investigated RFID usage in hospital systems as it has shown great potential for the industry.
RFID for Healthcare Standardization and Interoperability
The Axia Institute expands their memberships in the technology and healthcare industries along with making advancements in RFID standardization to track medical devices and pharmaceuticals.
February 2022
Axia Institute Spearheads Research on Healthcare Value Chain
As the healthcare industry continues to face growing challenges, the Axia Institute is connecting with providers across the industry to help develop solutions.
January 2022
Axia Institute Research Grant – From Cherry Pits to Cosmeceuticals
MSU’s Targeted Support Grant for Technology Development (TSGTD) awarded the Axia Institute’s Dr. Bahar Aliakbarian into transforming cherry pits to cosmeceuticals.
Establishing Grades for Pharmaceutical RFID Tag Performance
In the Axia Lab, RFID technology is used to test tags that are graded based on GS1 Tagged Item Performance Protocol (TIPP) Guidelines, establishing more reliable performance of tagged items.
October 2021
Michigan State University’s Axia Institute Announces the Launch of Axia Lab™
The Axia Institute of Michigan State University announced the creation of Axia Lab™, a premier research and consulting service leading the way in radio frequency identification (RFID) tagged item assessments, testing, compliance, and technical implementations.
September 2021
New Director of Research & Development
Michigan State University’s Axia Institute Lead Researcher, Bahar Aliakbarian, Ph.D., has been promoted to Director of Research & Development.
Comments on the FDA’s Drug Supply Chain Security Act, an important area of focus for our Institute
Read more about our proposed collaborative approach for helping secure the supply chain for prescription drugs using interoperable GS1 standards.
June 2021
Meet Our 2021 Intern Class
Join us in welcoming the Axia Institute’s 2021 Intern class! We cannot wait to see what they accomplish throughout the course of this internship. Learn more about Satwik, Drew, Sadana and Nate in our most recent blog post.
New Axia Executive Director Named
John Hatfield has been appointed the new Executive Director of The Axia Institute, replacing Dr. Charles Hasemann, who has served as Interim Executive Director since January 2021.
May 2021
Exploring Supply Chain Management Strategies – Event Recap
On May 19, the Axia Institute hosted its third Revolutionizing Patient Safety webinar titled Exploring Supply Chain Management Strategies with a Patient-Centric Approach.
Joining Axia for this webinar were Namrata Jain, Group Manager, Channel Inventory Management, Genentech USA, Inc, Dr. Vedat Verter, John McConnell Endowed Chair of Business and Chairperson of the Department of Supply Chain Management at the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, and Chris Vieau, Director of Supply Chain Management, MidMichigan Health.
April 2021
Revolutionizing Patient Safety Webinar Series: Event Recap
Revolutionizing Patient Safety Webinar Series: Event Recap
On April 14, the Axia Institute hosted its second Revolutionizing Patient Safety webinar titled The Patient-Centric Supply Chain for Prescription Drugs.
Joining Axia for this webinar were Ghasda Ashkar, Pharm. D., Director of Ambulatory Pharmacy Services, UCLA Health, and Jillian Foster, Pharm. D., Pharmacy Service Line Administrator, Baptist Memorial Health Care.
Axia Institute Research Leader Dr. Bahar Aliakbarian moderated the session along with Mark Karhoff, Principal at Ten Count Consulting. During the webinar our pharmacy participants shared their perspectives on the patient-centric supply chain while sharing their challenges and opportunities for improvement.
Slides from this session are available for download, as is the Zoom replay.
December 2020
Getting COVID-19 Vaccines from the Factory to the Pharmacy – A Discussion with Dr. Bahar Aliakbarian
December 2020
Bahar Aliakbarian is an expert in supply chain management in pharmaceuticals and a professor at the School of Packaging at Michigan State University. Here, she describes the vaccine supply chains of Pfizer and Moderna, which are expected to be the two major early suppliers of the COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. She also talks about challenges in distribution and the work being done to ensure safe and systematic delivery of the vaccines.
New Research Leader Joins the Axia Institute
December 16, 2020
Michigan State University’s Axia Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Carlos A. Marino as Research Leader – Value Chain Digitization …
New Members to Join the Axia Institute Governance Board
December 17, 2020
Gary Burns, CEO of eAgile, Inc., and Gordon Krass, CEO of IntelliGuard® will join the Axia Institute’s Executive Advisory Board (EAB) …
Getting COVID-19 Vaccines from the Factory to the Pharmacy – A Discussion with Dr. Bahar Aliakbarian
December 2020
Bahar Aliakbarian is an expert in supply chain management in pharmaceuticals and a professor at the School of Packaging at Michigan State University. Here, she describes the vaccine supply chains of Pfizer and Moderna, which are expected to be the two major early suppliers of the COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. She also talks about challenges in distribution and the work being done to ensure safe and systematic delivery of the vaccines.
New Research Leader Joins the Axia Institute
December 16, 2020
Michigan State University’s Axia Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Carlos A. Marino as Research Leader – Value Chain Digitization …
New Members to Join the Axia Institute Governance Board
December 17, 2020
Gary Burns, CEO of eAgile, Inc., and Gordon Krass, CEO of IntelliGuard® will join the Axia Institute’s Executive Advisory Board (EAB) …
November 2020
Ten Count Consulting Joins the Axia Institute
November 2, 2020
Michigan State University’s Axia Institute is pleased to announce that Chicago-based Ten Count Consulting, LLC has joined the Axia Institute as a General Member.
October 2020
Industry Leaders Featured at Revolutionizing Patient Safety: Securing the Medication Supply Chain Virtual Conference
October 2020
On October 6, 2020, the Axia Institute hosted a virtual industry-focused event on the critical value chain to secure the supply chain for prescription medication. Revolutionizing Patient Safety: Securing the Medication Supply Chain provided a relevant forum for the important issue of patient safety and brought together industry professionals to discuss this important challenge. The Axia Institute would like to thank its sponsors including the Council of Pharmacy Executives and Suppliers (CPES), the Council of Supply Chain Executives (CSCE), eAgile, Fresenius Kabi, GS1, and IntelliGuard for helping underwrite this important event.
Revolutionizing Patient Safety: Securing the Medical Supply Chain
About: On October 6, the Axia Institute conducted a revolutionary conference with industry professionals and keynote speaker Christopher Jerry who shared his touching story to inspire change. Available on our website are the recap videos and event summary. We look forward to continuing to inspire change and discussing industry challenges and how to overcome them.
Upcoming Events
Spring 2023 Value Chain Certificate Program
April 10 – May 30, 2023
The Axia Institute will again be offering its Value Chain Management Certificate Class in virtual format. Our fall session was delivered between April 10 and May 30, 2023 using a combination of live and pre-recorded sessions delivered over Zoom. Attendees were expected to complete additional self-paced learning activities.
Previous Events
October 2022
Value Chain Summit
Managing Disruption in Hyper Connected Value Chains
October 24-25, 2022
The Summit first day featured a Value Chain Management learning opportunity and a tour of the Axia Lab followed by an evening reception at the H Hotel.
Tuesday’s session included a keynote address and panel discussion on Disruption with leaders from Dow, Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation, Corteva, and Fresenius Kabi. Axia Institute partners and collaborators also contributed to the session.
October 2021
Virtual Healthcare RFID Workshop
October 29, 2021
The Axia Institute and other healthcare leaders to discussed industry interests and needs regarding Electronic Product Code (EPC)-enabled Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).
March 2020
Bahar Aliakbarian Presents at the Midland Business Alliance
March 16, 2020
Dr. Bahar Aliakbarian of the Axia Institute recently presented at the Midland Business Alliance’s February Issues and Answers session. The event, Employers’ Update on the Opioid Crisis featured a panel of professionals from the medical field, health agencies and academia. The panel addressed workplace challenges caused by the opioid crisis and outlined strategies for managing these risks.
The Axia Institute Hosts Global Logistics Forum
March 26, 2020
The Axia Institute recently hosted Bridging the Gap: Establishing a Global Logistics Community to Jointly Address Common Challenges. The goal of the event was to help Axia and its partners begin thinking about ways to address shipping challenges across the global supply chain.