Type II diabetes, why haven’t new treatments resulted in better health?

New research shows that, while there have been significant new advancements in available treatments for type II diabetes, this has not translated to better health for those patients. In fact, the study shows that fewer than one in four Americans with diagnosed type II diabetes have achieved the American Diabetes Association’s recommended care targets … which is no better than 15 years ago. Joining me for this episode is the author of this research, Pooyan Kazemian, instructor in medicine at Harvard University Medical School and a research scientist in the division of general internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. 

Interviewed this episode:

Pooyan Kazemian

Massachusetts General Hospital

Pooyan Kazemian, PhD, Assistant Professor of Operations, joined the Weatherhead School of Management in 2020. Prior to that, he was on faculty at Harvard Medical School.

Pooyan’s research lies at the intersection of machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and data-driven optimization with application to healthcare. His research addresses pressing problems in the areas of healthcare operations management, medical decision making, and health policy. Kazemian’s research strives to improve the quality of care, access to care, and health outcomes at a lower cost. He is particularly interested in novel applications of deep learning and AI to improve the operational aspects of healthcare and to enhance the testing and diagnosis of chronic and infectious diseases. He also employs stochastic and robust optimization to personalize disease monitoring and treatment. Kazemian’s research has been featured on NPR, The NY Times, Science Codex, Yahoo Finance, Business Standard, and a number of other major news outlets.

Pooyan’s teaching interests include machine learning and artificial intelligence in business analytics and healthcare management, decision making in healthcare, and simulation modeling.

Kazemian has served as a reviewer for several scientific journals, including Management Science, Operations Research, INFORMS Journal on Computing, and Annals of Internal Medicine, among others, as well as various competitions of INFORMS and POMS communities.