Seminar on September 30 (in-person): “Long-lasting insecticidal nets
campaigns for malaria control considering prioritization and equity” by
Douglas Alem, University of Edinburgh Business School
Speaker: Douglas Alem, University of Edinburgh Business School
Date & Time: September 30, 2022, Friday 13:30
Place: EA-409
Title: Long-lasting insecticidal nets campaigns for malaria control
considering prioritization and equity
Abstract: Malaria is still a major health concern in the North region of
Brazil. The tropical weather combined with its poor environmental and
socioeconomic aspects creates favorable conditions for the cycle of malaria
transmission in this area, which accounts for 99% of malaria cases in the
country. One of the most effective strategies to prevent malaria is based on
the use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs or simply bed nets) among
people in malaria-endemic regions. A critical challenge in public health is
to ensure that LLINs are effectively and equitably allocated to those that
need them the most. In this talk, we show some promising mathematical
programming approaches that can help health organizations to allocate and
distribute LLINs. In particular, we show how to evaluate a Malaria
Vulnerability Index (MVI) to identify which areas are more prone to malaria
and a simple way to factor this index within a mathematical programming
approach to prioritize LLINs allocation.
Bio: Douglas Alem is currently Associate Professor in Business Analytics at
the University of Edinburgh Business School and Director of MSc Decision and
Data Analytics (online). From 2011 to 2018, Dr Alem was an assistant
professor of industrial engineering at University of Sao Carlos (UFSCar). He
joined the University of Edinburgh Business School as an assistant professor
in 2018. In 2011, Dr. Alem earned a PhD in Applied Mathematics and Computer
Science at University of Sao Paulo (USP) with a thesis focusing on robust optimization and stochastic programming approaches to production planning problems under uncertainty.
His main research interests include humanitarian logistics & disaster
management, as well as applications of robust optimization and stochastic
programming to different problems. Currently, he is working on data-driven
approaches for robust stochastic optimization and on equity considerations
in food aid distribution to vulnerable people.