Micro-événements

We are excited to announce that the CORS Queueing and Applied Probability (QAP) Special Interest Group will be hosting a micro-event on Thursday, February 6, 2025, from 4:00 to 5:00 PM EST. This online seminar will feature Professor Peter Taylor from The University of Melbourne. 

Seminar Details: Cost: Free. A Google Meet link will be sent to registered participants a few days before the event.

Title: The Role of Physical Understanding in Matrix-Analytic Methods

Abstract: Since Marcel Neuts first showed that Markov chains of GI/M/1 type have a matrix-geometric stationary distribution in the 1970s and 1980s, the interplay between analytic properties and physical interpretation has played a major part in the development of matrix-analytic methods for stochastic models. Most performance measures of interest in such models can be expressed in terms of the solutions of equations involving matrix power series, which have to be solved numerically. Over the years, various iterative algorithms have been proposed for doing this. In order to establish convergence, and gain information about the speed of convergence, it is often helpful to think about the physical interpretation of the iterates. I shall discuss the physical interpretation of matrix-analytic algorithms that have been proposed for analysing block-structured Markov additive models.

Speaker Bio: Professor Peter Taylor is the Director of Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers and Chief Investigator at the University of Melbourne. Professor Taylor's research interests lie in the fields of stochastic modelling and applied probability. Recently he has become interested in the interaction of stochastic modelling with optimisation and optimal control under conditions of uncertainty. He is regularly invited to present plenary papers at international conferences. He has also acted on organising and program committees for many conferences. Professor Taylor is the editor-in-chief of the Applied Probability Trust journals Journal of Applied Probability and Advances in Applied Probability and was the Editor-in-Chief of Stochastic Models between 2002 and 2018. He is also a member of the editorial board of Queueing Systems. He served on the Awards Committee of the Applied Probability Section of the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science (INFORMS) from 2005-2007 and in 2016 was Co-Chair of the Committee for the Nicholson Prize, awarded for the best student paper in operations research.

The 2025 Canadian Operational Research Society (CORS) Health Care Operational Research (HCOR) SIG Micro-Event was an online zoom seminar co-presented by Dr. Michael Abramoff and Dr. Tinglong Dai. 

Title: Medical A.I. Revolution: Research Opportunities for OR/MS Scholars

Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to revolutionize healthcare delivery globally, offering unprecedented opportunities for operations research and management science (OR/MS) researchers. As AI becomes embedded in healthcare workflows, it will not only reshape how care is delivered but also challenge the traditional models used to analyze healthcare systems. This talk, featuring Dr. Michael Abramoff, inventor of the first FDA-cleared autonomous AI system, and Dr. Tinglong Dai, a leading Johns Hopkins expert in medical AI, will explore the emerging research opportunities for OR/MS scholars in response to AI’s integration into healthcare. We will highlight the need for new models that can guide the rapid evolution of healthcare practices, assess productivity improvements, and address disparities in access to care. Also, AI’s potential to learn and adapt presents opportunities to develop models for real-time decision-making, but these systems must undergo rigorous development, validation, and approval processes. We will also discuss the regulatory and reimbursement challenges that AI in healthcare faces, opening the door for OR/MS researchers to contribute solutions to these key barriers.

Bio of Speakers:
Michael D. Abramoff, MD, PhD, is a fellowship-trained retina specialist, computer scientist and entrepreneur. Dr. Abramoff is the Robert C. Watzke, MD Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Iowa, with a joint appointment in the College of Engineering. He is Founder and Executive Chairman of Digital Diagnostics, the autonomous AI diagnostics company that was the first in any field of medicine to get FDA clearance for an autonomous AI. He is the author of over 400 peer-reviewed publications, he has been cited over 50,000 times, and is the inventor on 25 issued patents.

Tinglong Dai, PhD, is Ferrari Professor of Business at Johns Hopkins University, where he co-directs the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor Cluster on Global Advances in Medical Artificial Intelligence. Named one of the World’s Top 40-Under-40 Business School Professors by Poets & Quants, Dr. Dai is a sought-after expert featured in major media outlets, including Bloomberg, CNN, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Dr. Dai serves as Vice President of Marketing, Communication, and Outreach for INFORMS. He is an Associate Editor for Management Science, MSOM, POM, and npj Digital Medicine, etc.

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L'événement inaugural était un atelier organisé par le CORS HCOR SIG et présidé par Majid Taghavi. L'événement comprenait une série de conférences invitées et une séance plénière sur ce sujet d'actualité.