Spencer C. Schantz Distinguished Lecture Series

Lehigh ISE, College of Health, and Health Care Systems Engineering Program Spencer C. Schantz Distinguished Lecture 

Lecture: Thursday, November 3, 2022, 5:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.  Open Discussion: 5:45 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Reception and Dinner: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Location:  Lehigh ISE, College of Health, and HSE faculty and students will be able to attend the lecture and open discussion from 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. in the HST Building, Room HE 101.  A reception and dinner will immediately follow from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in the same room. Registration is required for the two events. Please email Sheila Dorney: skd220@lehigh.edu by Monday, October 24, 2022. 

Speaker: Dr. Michael Carter

Title: "How Can We Make a Real Difference in Healthcare? The Challenges of Implementation"

Abstract:

Most of us who work in operations research applications in healthcare are frustrated by the fact that planners, managers and decision makers do not seem to be suitably impressed with the mathematical beauty of our models. The literature abounds with hundreds of application papers; but when we take a closer look, few of them describe implementation. The problems in the healthcare industry are generally very similar to corresponding problems in any other sector. Hospitals have staffing issues, budget constraints, purchasing decisions, scheduling, planning, etc.  The differences are subtle and often related to the culture. Over the years, I have encountered many challenges and I have been able to design approaches to deal with many of them. A few years ago, I was asked to pick the five top challenges. I can easily rattle off thirty, but selecting five was itself a challenge. In this talk, I will outline my perception of the major hurdles, provide a few examples and discuss strategies for overcoming them.

 Bio:

Michael Carter is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto and Founding Director of the Centre for Healthcare Engineering (in 2009). Since 1989, his research focus has been in the area of health care resource modeling. He was the winner of the Annual Practice Prize from the Canadian Operational Research Society (CORS) four times (1988, 1992, 1996 and 2009). In 2000, he received the CORS Award of Merit for lifetime contributions to Canadian Operational Research. He is on the editorial board for the journals “Health Care Management Science”, “Operations Research for Health Care”, “Health Systems” and “IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems”. He is an Adjunct Scientist with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto (www.ices.on.ca) and a member of the Faculty Advisory Council for the University of Toronto Chapter of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). He is member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario.  He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, INFORMS, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Engineering Institute of Canada. In 2019, he won the Northrup Frye Award for Teaching Excellence from the University of Toronto Alumni Association and in 2021, he was awarded the University of Toronto President’s Impact Award for his contributions to Canadian healthcare  

This lecture series is endowed in the name of the late Spencer C. Schantz, who graduated from Lehigh in 1955 with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering. Following progressive responsibilities with several electrical manufacturing companies, in 1969 he founded U.S. Controls Corporation and became its first CEO and President. The Spencer C. Schantz Distinguished Lecture Series was established by his wife Jerelyn as a valuable educational experience for faculty, students and friends of Lehigh’s Industrial and Systems Engineering department.