Bio

Ph.D., Industrial Engineering, North Carolina State University, 2012M.Sc., Operations Research, North Carolina State University, 2009B.Sc., Mathematics, University of South Carolina, 2007

My research interests involve using mathematical modeling and stochastic optimization methods (primarily Markov modeling, Markov decision processes, and Monte Carlo simulation) to build models that simulate the natural course of disease. These models allow for estimation of outcomes under different screening and treatment policies in the absence of randomized controlled trials, and can be used to optimize screening and treatment decisions for patients with chronic diseases. My current projects include optimizing treatment and policy decisions for patients with type 2 diabetes, validating infrastructure decisions and scheduling for rural tele-cystoscopy clinics, and developing optimal treatment guidelines for small renal masses.

Research Interests

  • Decision analysis
  • Markov decision processes
  • Markov models
  • Monte Carlo simulation models
  • Discrete event simulation

Selected Publications

  • “Clinical and Economic Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Guideline Directed Management of Pancreatic Cysts” Journal of Gastroenterology
  • “Blinded Comparison of Clarity, Proficiency and Diagnostic Capability of Tele-Cystoscopy Compared to Traditional Cystoscopy, a Pilot Study” Journal of Urology
  • “Trends in Uninsured Rates Before and After Medicaid Expansion in the Diabetes Belt and Non-Belt Counties” Diabetes Care
  • “Adapting Nurse-led Cystoscopy experience to the United States: Tele-cystoscopy a possible compromise?” International Journal of Urological Nursing
  • “Probabilistic Sensitivity Analysis on Markov Models with Uncertain Transition Probabilities: An Application in Evaluating Treatment Decisions for Type 2 Diabetes” Health Care Management Science, 22(1)
  • Patient2Vec: A Personalized Interpretable Deep Representation of the Longitudinal Electronic Health Record” IEEE Access, 6
  • “Optimization of Telemedicine Appointments in Rural Areas” Service Science, Special Issue on Advancing Health Services, 10(3)
  • “Cost-related medication non-adherence among U.S. adults with diabetes” Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 143
  • “Disparities in the Use of Diabetes Screening in Appalachia” Journal of Rural Health, 34(2)
  • “Provider role in transmission of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae” Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 38(11)
  • “Using Claims Data Linked with Electronic Health Records to Monitor and Improve Adherence to Medication” IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering, 7(4)

Courses Taught

  • PHS 7370 Health Data Analytics & Simulation