2012 Wagner Prize Presentations
History and Purpose of the Wagner Prize and Competition
Allen Butler, President, Daniel H. Wagner and Associates, Inc., 2 Eaton Street, Suite 500, Hampton, VA 23669, United States of America, allen.butler@va.wagner.com
A Deployed Quantal Response Based Patrol Planning System for the US Coast Guard
Presenting Authors: Bo An, Fernando Ordonez, Milind Tambe, Eric Shieh, Rong Yang, University of Southern California, USA; Craig Baldwin, Joseph DiRenzo, Ben Maule, Garrett Meyer, United States Coast Guard, USA
Abstract: In this paper we describe the model, theory developed and deployment of PROTECT, a game-theoretic system in use by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) in the Port of Boston for scheduling patrols. The PROTECT system is premised on an attacker-defender Stackelberg game model but its development and implementation required both theoretical contributions and detailed evaluations. The USCG evaluated the deployment of PROTECT in the Port of Boston as a success and is currently evaluating the system in the Port of New York, with the potential for nationwide deployment.
The Philadelphia Districting Contest: Designing Territories for City Council Based upon the 2010 Census
Presenting Authors: Ram Gopalan, School of Business, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ; Steven O. Kimbrough, Operations and Information Management, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Frederic H. Murphy, Marketing and Supply Chain Management, Fox School of Business, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA; Nicholas Quintus, Office of Watersheds, Philadelphia Water Department, Philadelphia, PA
Abstract: The City of Philadelphia recently redesigned the districts for its council members using the 2010 census. Several public interest groups organized a districting contest to increase public engagement and offer examples of City Council districts that minimized gerrymandering. We developed methodologies that allowed us to win in one contest category and make presentations before City Council. We describe the events surrounding the districting process, the methodologies we developed and the influence that the contest ultimately had on the design of city council districts.
Improving Patient Access to Chemotherapy Treatment at Duke Cancer Institute
Presenting Authors: Jonathan C. Woodall, Duke University Health System, Durham, NC; Tracy Gosselin, Amy Boswell, Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Michael Murr, Brian Denton, Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 2761
Abstract: We describe how discrete event simulation and optimization methods were used to improve patient flow within a large cancer center. First, we show results from the simulation model that indicate nurses in the chemotherapy infusion center are a significant bottleneck. Next, we describe a mixed integer program that was used to optimize weekly nurse shift scheduling, and how a simulation optimization model was further used to optimize nurse shift start times to minimize average patient waiting time. Finally we summarize the recommendations that were implemented at Duke Cancer Institute.
Bed Assignments in a Complex and Dynamic Hospital Environment
Presenting Authors: Bex George Thomas, Srinivas Bollapragada, Kunter Akbay, David Toledano, Peter Katlic, Onur Dulgeroglu, Dan Yang, General Electric Global Research, Software Sciences and Analytics, Niskayuna, NY
Abstract: Bed management is an important function of any hospital with a big impact on patient care, patient flow and ultimately the hospital operating margin. A key challenge in bed management is optimizing the bed assignments in a complex and dynamic operating environment. We have developed innovative decision support tools with embedded mathematical models to periodically and automatically recommend bed assignments. We have hosted our prototype bed assignment solution as a cloud based application for Mount Sinai Medical Center (MSMC) in New York and improved their hospital operations.
Incorporating Stochastic Leadtimes into the Guaranteed Service Model of Safety Stock Optimization
Presenting Authors: Salal Humair, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; John Ruark, Logility, Inc., Burlington, MA; Brian Tomlin, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH; Sean P. Willems, School of Management, Boston University, Boston, MA
Abstract: Variability, in its various forms, makes supply chain management hard. Most supply chain models incorporate demand variability but fewer models account for lead time variability, particularly in multi-echelon networks. We extend the guaranteed service model of safety stock placement to allow stochastic lead times. The main methodological contribution is the creation of closed form equations for the expected safety stock in the system. The main applied contributions are the demonstration of real stochastic lead times in practice and comparison to more traditional heuristics.
Biological Planning for High‐Dose Rate Brachytherapy: Application to Cervical Cancer Treatment
Presenting Authors: Eva K Lee, Fan Yuan, Center for Operations Research in Medicine and HealthCare, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA; Alistair Templeton, Rui Yao, Krystyna Liel, Jame CH Chu, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
Abstract: Cervical cancer is slow-growing and in early stages may not have any symptoms. Successful treatment remains challenging and the mortality rate in the U.S. is high at about 35%. We describe novel biological treatment planning designs that incorporate functional PET information for targeted escalated dose delivery. Our study reveals improvement both in local tumor control and organs-at-risk toxicity, two competing and desirable goals that were previously thought to be unachievable simultaneously.
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