Academic publication UAI receives the most important award worldwide on sustainable operations management and social impact

During the 33rd Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) Annual Conference, a publication by the academic Business School from the UAI, Joel Joris Van de Klundert, Together with her co-authors, she was honored with the Paul Kleindorfer Sustainability Award for the best publication on sustainable operations between 2018 and 2021.

UAI Communications.- This recognition is the most important that exists in the matter at an international level.

The paper was carried out jointly with his co-authors Albert Wagelmans and Harwin de Vries, both economists from Erasmus University Rotterdam, and was published in 2020 in the prestigious international journal Production and Operations Management (POM).

In the article: The Roadside Healthcare Facility Location Problem A Managerial Network Design Challenge, the academics cover the problem of the location of health centers on African roads, which present problems of optimization of care but also of the spread of infectious diseases.

The population of Africa has the highest burden of disease in the world, and while private and public health services exist, accessibility to these services is complex and inefficient. This is mainly due to the fact that truckers play a key role in the spread of infectious diseases, especially in the case of chronic diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis and Malaria. Likewise, due to their health problems, they have a significantly reduced life expectancy, since their needs in terms of health services are not well attended.

The study proposes an effective design of operations and continuous access to health services by mobile patients, but with smaller volumes that help achieve substantial gains in effectiveness. In addition, it shows quite strong solutions in terms of data accuracy and network planning, which can lead to substantial benefits in the long run. “Providing African truckers with adequate access to medical care is an effective way to reduce the burden and spread of infectious diseases such as HIV, STIs, tuberculosis or malaria”Explain Joel Joris Van de Klundert.

In summary, the awarded article defines where to place additional facilities, what health service packages to offer in each of them; combining the maximization of the volume of patients in the facilities and the effectiveness of the provision of health services to the population served. “Receiving the Paul Kleindorfer Sustainability Award means that our paper has been the best published article on Sustainable Management and Operations worldwide during 2018-2021, for which we are very honored”concludes the UAI academic.