International Conference, Healthcare Conference and Annual Meeting

2019 INFORMS-ALIO International Conference

The 2019 INFORMS-ALIO International Conference will take place June 9-12 in Cancun, Mexico. The joint conference will bring together hundreds of OR/MS professionals and researchers from all over the world to share ideas, network and discuss new trends of the profession in a constant changing world. Whether you are an experienced O.R. practitioner, researcher or academic, or just starting your career, you will find a friendly atmosphere at the conference to meet people from all over the world.

Plenary speakers at the International Conference include Natashia Boland from Georgia Tech who will give a talk on “Frontiers of Integer Programming” in which she describes new techniques to make branch-and-bound a more efficient procedure. Cole Smith from Clemson University will discuss some emerging research areas and opportunities for future research in the design of algorithms of two-player optimization problems. Enrique Covarrubias, a noted practitioner and a leader on investment management at Actinver (a prominent Mexican financial firm), will discuss how to combine machine learning algorithms and modern portfolio theory to make intelligent investment decisions.

As for keynote speakers, Alice Smith from Auburn University will talk about decision science and how some analytical approaches are inspired by natural systems, including artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic and evolutionary algorithms. Elena Fernández from the University of Cádiz, Spain, will give a talk on location/routing problems (LRPs), focusing on the nature of the service required, i.e., in the nodes or on the edges. The talk will include alternative LRP techniques leading to improved formulations that may have a positive impact when using commercial software or solution algorithms for some LRPs. Eduardo Uchoa from the Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil, will present new advances in exact algorithms for vehicle routing.

Nine experts in different fields have been invited to share their knowledge on a variety of topics in the Tutorials track. From “Practical Guidelines for Solving Difficult Mixed Integer Programs” to “Stochastic Failure Models for Network Analysis” and a session about the past, present and future of medical decision-making, there will be many topics covered in this track. For a full listing, click here.

Besides the rich academic experience, attendees will also enjoy the fantastic city of Cancun, situated on one of the most glorious beaches in the Western hemisphere. Cancun is full of historical heritage, the crib of the ancient Mayan culture and home to exquisite cuisine. Cancun has hosted many scientific meetings, including the INFORMS Computing Society Conference in January 2000. So, mark your calendar for June 9-12, bring your family and enjoy a splendid conference in a wonderful setting. You will be charmed by the warmth of the people of Mexico.

For more information, visit: http://meetings.informs.org/2019international/. 

2019 INFORMS Healthcare Conference

The 2019 INFORMS Healthcare Conference co-hosted by the MIT Sloan School of Management and Massachusetts General Hospital will be held July 27–29 in the Boston area. The conference theme, “Transforming Health with Data, Mind and Hand,” highlights the potential joint impact of analytics, academia and practice, as exemplified by the long history of successful collaboration between both institutions. Inspired by MIT’s motto, “Mens et Manus” (“mind and hand”), the collaborative effort reflects a joint vision of using data analytics and research to impact medicine, healthcare policy and delivery.

In addition to hosting regular sessions on the well-known tracks of Personalized Medicine, Healthcare Delivery, Public Health, Information Technology, Supply Chains and Economics, the conference will feature practice-oriented sessions. In an effort to bring together the academic community and practitioners, one or more of these sessions’ participants will be industry experts on a particular topic; other speakers will be academics who work in the same domain. Industry participants include experts from Massachusetts General Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Athenahealth, OptumLabs and other healthcare organizations. The aim with these sessions is to further broaden the reach of the INFORMS community, and to connect academics with healthcare professionals to forge new collaborations to impact practice.

The conference venue, MIT Sloan, is at the heart of Kendall Square, in Cambridge, Mass., home to multiple leading organizations in healthcare technology, medicine, pharmaceuticals, public health and biotechnology. Similarly, Boston is home to several of the best academic medical centers in the United States. There will be two field trips showcasing the spectrum of work being conducted at the MIT Broad Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital.

For more information on the conference, including information on registration, the venue or the program, visit http://meetings.informs.org/healthcare2019/.

2019 INFORMS Annual Meeting

Registration is now open for the 2019 INFORMS Annual Meeting to be held Oct. 20-23 in Seattle. Join more than 6,000 of your colleagues in academia, industry, government and other INFORMS members and students at the OR/MS event of the year. The INFORMS Annual Meeting offers a four-day schedule filled with intriguing plenary and semi-plenary presentations, panel discussions, tutorials and oral and poster presentations. Presentations and tracks provide the opportunity to explore ideas at the forefront of theory and practice of OR/MS, data science, analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, within the context of applications such as education, energy, healthcare, humanitarian logistics, manufacturing, revenue management, supply chain management, sustainability and transportation.

The program already has a handful of confirmed plenary and keynote speakers from academic institutions such as the London Business School, University of Texas at Austin, Columbia University, Stanford and MIT, as well as large tech companies such as Uber, Microsoft and Facebook.

This year’s host city Seattle, also known as The Emerald City, is nestled among mountains and evergreen trees near the Pacific Coast. The largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. is home to major universities, corporations, hospitals and philanthropic organizations. Seattle, which has seen rapid growth over recent decades, has become a thriving technological hub. The conference will be held in a bustling area near many restaurants, bars and shops, not far from iconic landmarks such as the Space Needle and Pike Place Market.

For more information about the 2019 INFORMS Annual Meeting, to register or submit an abstract, visit: http://meetings.informs.org/seattle2019/.