Operations
How Better Mobile Crowdsourcing Can Help Combat Food Waste and Feed the Hungry
Yale SOM’s Vahideh Manshadi and Scott Rodilitz worked with Food Rescue US to hone their strategy for connecting volunteers with food donations. Their findings can help other nonprofits harness the power of crowds for social good.
‘Snapshots’ of Migrants in Mexico Suggest U.S. Undocumented Population Is Much Larger than Previous Estimates
A new study from Yale SOM’s Edward Kaplan and Scott Rodilitz, making use of data on migrants who have returned to Mexico, suggests that there are an estimated 19.6 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
![The U.S.-Mexico border in Southern California in April 2019. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images.]()
In Defense of (Mathematical) Models
Epidemiological models have played an influential role in governments’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yale SOM’s Edieal Pinker takes a look back at one of the most influential models and argues that such rigorous efforts at understanding the likely course of the disease, while imperfect, are critical to good decision making.
![A chart of ICU occupancy under various scenarios from Imperial College London]()
Design, Test, Spread
Nicolas Encina ’10 and his colleagues at Ariadne Labs have been demonstrating the potential of a collaborative, multidisciplinary process for designing and scaling simple improvements to healthcare—and also its limits.
![A scrum board covered with sticky notes at Ariadne Labs.]()
In Estimating COVID-19 Infection Risk, Frequency of an Activity Is Key
With proper precautions, the risk of a day at work, a ride on the bus, or a workout at the gym may be acceptable, write Yale SOM’s Arthur J. Swersey and his co-authors. But that risk compounds dramatically when an activity is repeated day after day.
![A pattern of dots of different colors]()
Study: Controlling COVID-19 Outbreaks in Residential Colleges Requires Frequent Testing
Using a computer model, the researchers found that weekly testing will keep outbreaks under control under relatively optimistic scenarios, but that testing every three days would be more reliable.
![A healthcare worker holding a COVID-19 testing swab]()
New Outbreaks of Coronavirus Can Be Halted with Isolation Measures, According to Study
Yale SOM’s Edward Kaplan used early reports out of Wuhan to evaluate the likely effectiveness of common tactics, such as isolation of patients and quarantine, in keeping the disease from spreading in new regions.
![A deserted train station in Wuhan, China, on January 23, 2020. Photo: Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images.]()
How Machine Learning Can Find Extremists on Social Media
Yale SOM's Tauhid Zaman investigated how artificial intelligence could assist efforts to detect and suspend extremist accounts, before they are used to recruit members and spread propaganda.![A complex network diagram with some nodes highlighted in red]()
A Decision Analysis Approach Points to Better Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer
A new study led by Yale SOM’s Arthur J. Swersey, using decision analysis techniques, finds that increasing the number of biopsy needles and using probability modeling to analyze the results can help prevent unnecessary treatment while identifying dangerous cancers.![A micrograph showing prostatic acinar adenocarcinoma, the most common form of prostate cancer. Photo: Nephron/Wikimedia.]()
Three Questions: Prof. Vahideh Manshadi on Improving Kidney Donation
This month, the Trump administration announced a series of steps to overhaul the kidney transplant system. We asked operations expert Vahideh Manshadi if the changes could make a difference for patients.![A car with a request for help finding a kidney written on the rear windshield]()
Kidney Exchange Registries Should Collaborate to Save More Lives
Yale SOM’s Vahideh Manshadi and her co-authors examined the methodology of kidney exchange registries, and found that registries can find more matches if they collaborate to build a unified database.![A "Concentration"-style card came with matching kidney cards turned up]()
