ORIE Colloquium on 10/4/2012 - Margaret Brandeau - Operations Research and Public Health: Practice and Theory

Margaret Brandeau (Stanford) - Operations Research and Public Health: Practice and Theory Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 3:00pm Frank H. T. Rhodes Hall, 253 How can the government of China most cost-effectively control the spread of hepatitis B virus? What is the most cost-effective way to use limited HIV prevention and treatment resources? To what extent should local communities stockpile antibiotics for response to a potential bioterror attack? This talk will describe examples from past and ongoing model-based analyses of public health policy questions. Our focus is twofold: we describe the practical aspects of the work as it has influenced national and international policy, and we discuss work on underlying theoretical issues. We conclude with perspectives on key elements of a successful policy analysis. About the Speaker Margaret Brandeau is Coleman F. Fung Professor of Engineering and Professor of Medicine (by Courtesy) at Stanford University. Her research focuses on the development of applied mathematical and economic models to support health policy decisions. Her recent work has focused on HIV prevention and treatment programs, programs to control the spread of hepatitis B virus, and preparedness plans for bioterror response. She is a Fellow of the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science (INFORMS), and has received the President’s Award from INFORMS (recognizing important contributions to the welfare of society), the Pierskalla Prize from INFORMS (for research excellence in health care management science), a Presidential Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation, and the Eugene L. Grant Teaching Award from Stanford, among other awards. She is currently a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors, a Federal Advisory Committee to the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors/National Biodefense Science Board Working Group for the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) Review 20/20. Professor Brandeau earned a BS in Mathematics and an MS in Operations Research from MIT, and a PhD in Engineering-Economic Systems from Stanford University.