To facilitate research on the resilience of humanitarian supply chains and to prepare them for future epidemics and pandemics the Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management has organized a special issue. This Special Issue seeks to address some of the gaps in this field that were exposed during the Covid-19 response. It seeks to provide an in-depth exploration of and dialogue around issues and challenges in responding to pandemics/epidemics from the perspective of the humanitarian supply chain and logistics management. Notably, this special issue makes a point on recognizing, understanding and responding to the needs of various vulnerable populations. The special issue will be free to access until the end of the year.

The COVID-19 response: considerations for future humanitarian supply chain and logistics management research by Denise D.P. Thompson and Renata Anderson

Serving Vulnerable Populations under the Threat of Epidemics and Pandemics by Kezban Yagci Sokat and Nezih Altay 

Protecting vulnerable people during pandemics through home delivery of essential supplies: a distribution logistics model by Eric Breitbarth, Wendelin Groβ and  Alexander Zienau 

An Analysis of Compounding Factors of Epidemics in Complex Emergencies: A System Dynamics Approach by Russell Harpring, Amin Maghsoudi, Christian Fikar, Wojciech D. Piotrowicz and Graham Heaslip

A Collaborative approach to maintaining Optimal Inventory and mitigating Stockout Risks during a Pandemic: Capabilities for enabling Healthcare-Supply-Chain Resilience by Derek Friday, David A. Savage, Steven A. Melnyk, Norma Harrison, Suzanne Ryan and Heidi Wechtler

Deciding Between Cash-based and In-kind Distributions during Humanitarian Emergencies by Jorge García Castillo

A spatial queuing model for the location decision of emergency medical vehicles for pandemic outbreaks: the case of Za'atari Refuge camps by Felix Blank

An applied Approach to multi-criteria Humanitarian supply chain planning for pandemic response by Behnam Malmir and Christopher W. Zobel

The COVID 19 Epidemic and Evaluating the Corresponding Responses to crisis Management in Refugees: A system Dynamic Approach by Fahimeh Allahi, Amirreza Fateh, Roberto Revetria and Roberto Cianci