
Weiyu Li
Ph.D. Student, University of Michigan
Email: weiyuli@umich.edu
Office location: IOE 2761
Research Interests: Statistical Learning and Stochastic Optimization, Robust Dynamic Programming, Reinforcement Learning, Medical Decision Making
About me: “I am a Ph.D. Student in Industrial and Operations Engineering at University of Michigan. I earned a M.S. in statistics at University of Michigan, and a B.S. in Pure and Applied Mathematics at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. I am interested in the interdisciplinary study in statistical learning methods and stochastic optimization. Currently, my research is focused on dynamic decision making in healthcare operations, including individualized treatment decisions for Cardiovascular disease and active surveillance strategies for prostate cancer.
Personal Website: https://sites.google.com/umich.edu/weiyuli

Selin Merdan
Ph.D. Student, University of Michigan
Email: smerdan@umich.edu
Office location: IOE 2815
Research Interests: Machine Learning and Optimization in Medical Decision Making
About me: “I am a Ph.D. student in Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. Prior to coming to Ann Arbor, I earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering at Marmara University in Istanbul, Turkey. I am interested in the interdisciplinary research in the areas of machine learning and optimization for developing computational methods to help organize, process and transform data into actionable knowledge in clinical settings such as detection and screening of chronic diseases.”
Personal Website: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~smerdan/#/

Daniel Felipe Otero Leon
Ph.D. Student, University of Michigan
Email: dfotero@umich.edu
Office location: IOE 2815
Research Interests: Stochastic Models, Dynamic Programming, Medical Decision Making, Revenue Management
About me: “I am a Ph.D. Student in Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. I earned a M.S. in Industrial Engineering and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering at Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia. My current research on my dissertation is in the area of data-driven models for improving decision-making in the context of cardiovascular disease, in collaboration with clinical collaborators at the Department of Veteran Affairs. My current project involves the analysis of longitudinal electronic medical record data to optimize appointment follow-up policies for patients to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.”
Personal Website: https://dfotero.wixsite.com/website

Lauren Steimle
Ph.D. Student, University of Michigan
Email: steimle@umich.edu
Office location: IOE 2815
Research Interests: Optimization under Uncertainty, Stochastic Dynamic Programming, Robust Dynamic Programming, Medical Decision Making, Healthcare Applications
About me: “I am a Ph.D. student in Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. Before coming to Ann Arbor, I earned a B.S. in Systems Science and Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. I am interested in optimal decision making under uncertainty, especially as it applies to healthcare.
Personal Website: https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/lauren-steimle/home

Zheng Zhang
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Email: zhazheng@umich.edu
Office location: IOE 2761
Research Interests: Medical Decision Making, Healthcare Operations, Optimization under Uncertainty
About me: “I am a postdoctoral research fellow in Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. Before coming to Ann Arbor, I earned a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. I am generally interested in decision making and optimization under uncertainty. My research right now is focused on the optimization of scheduling noisy medical tests over long-term periods to improve the detectability of chronic diseases and the patient’s overall life quality. One of the applications I am working on is active surveillance for prostate cancer.”
Personal Website: https://sites.google.com/site/zhengrzhang
Past Graduate Students Advised
Name: Christine Barnett
Degree: PhD
Year: 2017
Thesis Title: Stochastic Models for Improving Screening and Surveillance Decisions for Prostate Cancer Care
Position: Senior Research Health Economist, Research Triangle Institute
Name: Maya Bam
Degree: PhD
Year: 2017
Thesis Title: Optimizing Resource Allocation in Surgery Delivery Systems
Position: Research Staff Member, General Motors
Name: Daniel Underwood
Degree: PhD
Year: 2015
Thesis Title: Risk-Based Simulation Optimization of PSA-Based Prostate Cancer
Screening (co-advised with Jim Wilson)
Position: SAS
Name: Yuanhui Zhang
Degree: PhD
Year: 2014
Thesis Title: Robust Optimal Control for Medical Treatment Decisions
Position: Research Triangle Institute
Name: Alex Gose
Degree: PhD
Year: 2013
Thesis Title: Sequential Bounding Methods for Stochastic Programming Models
of Production Planning
Position: Consultant
Name: Bjorn Berg
Degree: PhD
Year: 2012
Thesis Title: Optimal Planning and Scheduling of Outpatient Procedure Centers
Position: University of Minnesota
Name: David Chermak
Degree: MS
Year: 2012
Position: Duke University Medical Center
Name: Jennifer Mason
Degree: PhD
Year: 2012
Thesis Title: Markov Decision Processes and Approximate Dynamic Programming Methods for Optimal Treatment Design
Position: University of Virginia
Name: Christy Minor
Degree: MSc
Year: 2012
Thesis Title: Stochastic Programming Models for Appointment Scheduling that Compensate for Variation in Server Behavior
Position: Cognizant Technology Solutions
Name: Jonathan Woodall
Degree: MSc
Year: 2011
Thesis: Models for Optimizing Resource Allocation in a Cancer Center
Position: Duke University Medical Center
Name: Jingyu Zhang
Degree: PhD
Year: 2011
Thesis Title: Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes for Prostate Cancer Screening
Position: Phillips Research
Name: Yuan Zhang
Degree: PhD
Year: 2011
Thesis Title: A Partially Observable Markov Decision for Optimal Design of Surveillance Policies for Bladder Cancer
Position: Bank of America
Name: Ayca Erdogan
Degree: PhD
Year: 2010
Thesis Title: Optimization of Appointment Based Scheduling Systems
Position: San Jose State University
Name: Serhat Gul
Degree: PhD
Year: 2010
Thesis Title: Optimal Design of Surgery Delivery Systems
Position: Ozyegin University, Turkey
Name: Lindsay Moomaw
Degree: MSc
Year: 2010
Thesis: Stochastic Modeling for Optimal Batch Scheduling of Prophylactic Dispensing Centers
Position: Progressive Insurance