Below is a list of the current undergraduate research projects in health systems engineering:
Michelle Alvarado, Ph.D.
Healthcare Cost Transparency Tools
Department: Industrial and Systems Engineering
Email: alvarado.m@ufl.edu
Ph.D. Student Mentor(s): Behshad Lahijanian
Terms Available: Summer
Student Level: Junior, Senior, 2 students a term
Prerequisites: Statistics, Interest in healthcare systems engineering and technology
Credit: 0-3credits via EGN 4912
Stipend: None unless selected for SURF
Application Requirements: Resume, UF unofficial transcripts, Statement of research interest, Faculty interview, email one pdf file of requirements to Michelle Alvarado
Application Deadline: April 15
Project Description: Due to recent U.S. healthcare reform, a number of healthcare cost transparency tools (HCTTs) have become available for patients to view and estimate costs of anticipated health services. This research will systematically a) identify a broad sample of HCTTs across different platforms (web, apps, etc.); 2) evaluate their accessibility (login required), data availability (number of conditions, geographic region), type of information displayed (statistics and integration with provider reviews), and user-friendly features; and 3) provide a case study comparison of the HCTTs for certain health conditions (e.g. knee surgery, labor and delivery).
University Counseling and Wellness Center Scheduling Project
Department: Industrial and Systems Engineering
Email: alvarado.m@ufl.edu
Ph.D. Student Mentor(s): Meserret Karaca
Terms Available: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Student Level: Sophomore, Junior, Senior; 2 students a term
Prerequisites: This skills are desired, but not required: programming, statistics, simulation, OR 1 and OR 2.
Credit: 0-3credits via EGN 4912
Stipend: None unless selected for University Scholars or SURF
Application Requirements: Basic Online Application, Resume, UF unofficial transcripts, Statement of research interest, Faculty interview, email one pdf file of requirements to Michelle Alvarado
Application Deadline: April 1 for Summer and Fall; November 15 for Spring Term.
Project Description: The objective of this project is to support scheduling needs at the University of Florida Counseling and Wellness Center (UF-CWC). The UF-CWC has high levels of walk-in demand, some of which are for highly urgent needs and others are for new clients. This project uses methods from machine learning, simulation, and optimization to determine optimal staffing levels at the UF-CWC’s two campus locations.
Simulation and Scheduling of Mohs Micrographic Surgery
Department: Industrial and Systems Engineering
Email: alvarado.m@ufl.edu
Ph.D. Student Mentor(s): Behshad Lahijanian
Terms Available: Summer
Student Level: Junior, Senior, 2 students a term
Prerequisites: Statistics and Simulation
Credit: 0-3credits via EGN 4912
Stipend: None unless selected for SURF
Application Requirements: Resume, UF unofficial transcripts, Statement of research interest, Faculty interview, email one pdf file of requirements to Michelle Alvarado
Application Deadline: April 15
Project Description: Mohs Micrographic Surgery (MMS) is an iterative surgical method for removing skin cancer. Scheduling MMS is challenging due to the stochastic nature of layered skin removal. We have developed a stochastic sequential scheduling method and simulation model (Arena) of the scheduling and surgical processes. This research project will focus on data collection at a local MMS clinic, analysis of the data, and verification of the simulation model results using the real clinic data.