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Top 10 Episodes

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Let’s see how far we’ve come! A look back over a year of great content

What a year this has been! To start, I want to thank everyone who has tuned into the podcast this year, and whether this is the first episode you’re listening to or the 50th, your support of the podcast has helped us share the incredible work of INFORMS members and the many ways their contributions are saving lives, saving money and solving problems.   In fact, I’m thrilled to share that in 2021 we didn’t just reach a major milestone, but blew it out of the water, when we surpassed 50,000 unique downloads of our episodes well ahead of our…

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Overcoming obstacles to achieve objectives and (finally) returning to normal

Since I first met with the 2021 INFORMS president Stephen Graves at the beginning of the year, INFORMS has achieved several significant milestones despite the continued challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, to include the launching of a new strategic plan and a return to in-person meetings with the INFORMS Annual Meeting in Anaheim, CA earlier this fall. Now as 2021 draws to a close, Steve joins me for his final interview as president for a look back over the past year and all that INFORMS has accomplished.

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Food delivery services & restaurants: ‘Caught in a bad romance’?

This episode is sponsored by Fordham University’s Ph.D. in computer science. The COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges to the restaurant industry, especially at its peak in early 2020 when indoor dining in much of the country was shut down. A shining light seemed to come in the form of food delivery services, which enabled restaurants to reopen and safely provide food to patrons even though their dining rooms remained closed, or open at a reduced capacity. But is the relationship between restaurants and food delivery services really a healthy one, especially with indoor dining allowed once again? A new study…

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Improving guidelines for hypertension treatment to save lives

According to the CDC, nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have hypertension or are taking medication to control it. Of these individuals, only about 1 in 4 actually have their condition under control, whether through improved diet and exercise, making different lifestyle choices such as not smoking, or with prescription medications. Knowing when to start treating someone for hypertension is extremely important, as elevated blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, and even death. However, there can be some uncertainty in the medical community on when it is appropriate to begin medication, as guidelines are frequently revised,…

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Supply chains and holiday shopping: Delays, Disruptions & Automobiles (semiconductor chips, that is)

This episode is sponsored by Fordham University’s Ph.D. in computer science. With Halloween in our review mirrors and Thanksgiving fast approaching, the holiday season is officially upon us. And thanks to the widespread availability of coronavirus vaccines, to include boosters for many, I think we are all looking forward to spending time with family over the holidays in a way we haven’t since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it appears that the pandemic will still have an impact on this year’s holiday season as we’re seeing increasing reports in the media of continued if not worsening disruptions…

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Customer service calls: To transfer or not to transfer? ‘When’ is the question

This episode is sponsored by Fordham University’s Ph.D. in computer science. In an effort to address customer questions and concerns as thoroughly and quickly as possible, service centers such as call centers and back-office support organizations often employ frontline workers to handle some of the more common issues. These workers may end up addressing customer questions themselves, or transferring them to another employee with more expertise in that area. Since these workers provide a gateway to an expert, they are sometimes referred to as ‘gatekeepers.’ An important part of the gatekeeping process is knowing when to stop working on the…

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The new Nobel: INFORMS member awarded top AI prize

On this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with an INFORMS member whose work is truly Saving Lives, Saving Money, and Solving Problems. Cynthia Rudin, professor of computer science and engineering at Duke University, has been awarded the 2021 Squirrel AI Award for Artificial Intelligence for the Benefit of Humanity, an honor considered to be the New Nobel Prize. This award recognizes positive impacts of artificial intelligence to protect, enhance, and improve human life in meaningful ways with long-lived effects. In particular, her work with Con Edison, Massachusetts General Hospital and the Cambridge Police Department played a key role in…

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Charisma: A professional tool worth its weight in gold

We’ve all seen movies that contain a pivotal moment when characters are united in a cause or moved to action, all as the result of an impassioned speech from a leading character. The music builds as the words of this character flow forth, everyone’s eyes are fixed on them until finally there is a collective cheer as they come together to tackle a challenge, or their spirits are reignited for a seemingly lost cause, or they plunge headfirst into battle or some other dangerous endeavor, with no other incentive than these persuasive words. But again, that’s the movies. Can the…

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Shield-Net: Helping pop-up supply chains answer the call for more PPE during the pandemic

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, access to personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and shields was significantly impacted to the point that healthcare workers were forced to reuse their PPE. In fact, a survey found that 87 percent of hospital nurses in the U.S. reported reusing at least one type of single-use PPE, placing them at greater risk of contracting the virus. In response to this global shortage, many manufactures who had not previously developed PPE supplies pivoted their operations to help meet the demand. However, as these organizations were not previously established providers, it was still…

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Legalizing cannabis: Do licensed stores increase consumption?

The U.S. has a complicated history with cannabis. Designated an illegal substance for decades, in recent years we’ve witnessed a greater understanding of its medicinal potential with a growing number of states legalizing it for that purpose, as well as for recreational use. However, federally it remains classified as an illegal “Schedule 1 drug” under the Controlled Substances Act. I guess it’s still pretty complicated. Last year however, a bill passed in the House of Representatives that would have legalized the use of cannabis federally (but died in the Senate). In addition, more senators and representatives on both sides of…

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