Renata Konrad

Biography

Education: B.A.Sc. University of Toronto 1999 MS University of Toronto 2004 PhD Purdue University 2009 The application of Industrial Engineering and mathematical knowledge has always been a rewarding challenge for me. Over the past several years, I have focused my research in the healthcare industry, which is particularly exciting given the current debates on healthcare reform. Current projects include evaluating anti-human trafficking efforts, computationally characterizing episodes of care from health insurance claim records and examining the impact of physician incentives on patient outcomes. In the past I have worked on projects related to mental health, patient flow and practice guidelines. I draw on a variety of Industrial Engineering techniques including optimization and simulation. I am a member of the Healthcare Delivery Institute (HDI) and regularly work with the New England Veterans Engineering Resource Center. One of my favorite things about WPI is its emphasis on theory and practice. In this spirit, I believe research complements teaching. I particularly enjoy project advising, as it provides me a learning opportunity taught by my students. Through projects, I learn about different problems facing industry, and with the students explore possible solutions. I find that the process, though painful at times, promotes maturity, initiative, and creativity.

Research Interest

Design and application of healthcare resource Allocation problems; IE Education; Decision support for anti-human trafficking efforts; Simulation; Applied optimization