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An Excel application developed
by Regenstrief Center
researchers helps physicians
and patients make decisions
about cancer treatment
options.
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People
> Hagg launches statewide Lean/Six Sigma network. More
> Musselman elected President of Institute of Industrial
Engineering. More
Projects
> More
Partners
> Regenstrief Center emeritus faculty to lead Center of Excellence. More
> Witz named St. Vincent Health Chair of Healthcare Engineering. More
> St. Vincent Health holds annual research symposium. More
Progress
> Mark your calendars: Regenstrief Center 2007 Fall Symposium. More
> Annual conference explored healthcare delivery for the next generation. More
> Career opportunity with Purdue Technical Assistance Program. More
> Google searches lead to Regenstrief Center research. More
Publicity
> $12.4 million Mann Hall dedicated in Discovery Park. More
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Hagg launches statewide Lean/Six Sigma network
Heather (Woodward) Hagg, a new Regenstrief Center faculty member, has launched an RCHE sponsored statewide network of Purdue College of Engineering and Technology faculty working to integrate systems engineering principles into healthcare environments. The focus of this program is to translate systems engineering methodologies into relevant and accessible tools that can be readily applied by healthcare professionals in creating sustained improvement in the quality of healthcare delivery within the state of Indiana.
“The healthcare environment provides not only a challenging setting for systems engineering and implementation research, but also the unique opportunity to improve the ways in which patients receive care, which is very rewarding,” said Professor Hagg, a certified Quality Engineer, certified Six Sigma Black Belt, and a professor in the College of Technology at Purdue. “A number of Purdue faculty have already established effective partnerships with healthcare organizations throughout the state. Our initial goals are to continue to identify collaborative opportunities and to get a greater number of engineering and technology faculty out into the field working with partner hospitals.”
Under Hagg’s leadership, faculty from Purdue – West Lafayette, Purdue-Calumet and IUPUI have worked onsite at over 20 Indiana hospitals in facilitating project teams in application of systems engineering tools to improve healthcare delivery processes. “Our faculty focuses on a facilitative rather than consultative approach,” continues Hagg, “Teams of front line staff are introduced to systems engineering tools and methodologies and mentored through application of these tools to improve their own healthcare delivery processes. We find that this approach greatly increases the likelihood that improvements will be implemented and sustained over time.”
One of the 1 st hospitals systems to work with the Purdue statewide faculty, the St. Margaret Mercy hospital system in northwest Indiana earned the Innovators Award from Ivy Tech State College Northwest for their Lean Six Sigma program, developed with participating faculty from three regional campuses - Indiana University -Purdue University Indianapolis, Purdue Calumet and Purdue North Central
Prior to joining the Regenstrief Center, Hagg was a professor of Industrial Engineering Technology at the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at the IUPUI campus in Indianapolis. She spent nine years at Intel as a process and quality engineer within semiconductor manufacturing. Her expertise includes the development and implementation of closed-loop process control systems within high volume manufacturing. Her current research concentration involves adapting the quality and continuous improvement methodologies and tools (i.e. Six Sigma, Lean) used within high volume manufacturing for the healthcare industries. Woodward learned her B.S. degree in ceramic engineering and mechanical engineering from University of Missouri-Rolla and and master’s degree in Material Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
“Heather has proven capabilities in systems improvement, and her previous work across the state will serve as a launchpad for the Center’s continued efforts in this area,” said Steven M. Witz, Regenstrief Center Director.
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Musselman elected president of Insitute of Industrial Engineering
Kenneth J. Musselman, strategic collaboration director for the Regenstrief Center, was recently elected president-elect and chief financial officer of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE). Candidates are selected by a subcommittee of the IIE Board of Trustees, and votes are cast on-line by professional IIE members only.
With approximately 15,000 members and 280 chapters worldwide, IIE’s primary mission is to meet the ever-changing needs of industrial engineers, which includes undergraduate and graduate students, engineering practitioners and consultants in all industries, engineering managers and engineers in education, research and government. Musselman now holds a three-year position on IIE’s Board of Trustees, transitioning from President-Elect, to President, to Past President. In his first year, he is responsible for long-range organizational planning, sponsorship activities and financial affairs, serving as the chief financial officer.
As president, Musselman will also oversee societies within IIE, including the Society for Health Systems (SHS), whose mission is to contribute to the improvement of healthcare delivery systems through systems engineering, analysis and process improvement methods.
Ken Musselman has been the strategic collaboration director for the Regenstrief Center since February 2005. For over 30 years, Musselman has actively consulted in the aerospace, automotive, communications, computers, consumer products, electronics, healthcare, metals and transportation industries. He has consulted with more than 100 organizations worldwide and has lectured extensively.
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Avery - Alternate Care Site Planning, EMS
Painting from a
series
by Jan
Lucas Grimm,
leukemia patient
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Regenstrief Center emeritus faculty to lead Center of Excellence
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announced it will partner with the University of Arkansas and Blue Cross Blue Shield to create a research center to focus on improving the healthcare delivery system with the use of information technology. The Center for Innovation in Health Care Logistics will be dedicated to conducting research aimed at identifying and addressing gaps and roadblocks in the application and delivery of health information technology, and highlighting and replicating proven applications that are working to benefit patients and providers.
Professor Ron Rardin, former Director of Academic Operations for the Regenstrief Center and Purdue Professor Emeritus, will be the Center’s Executive Director. “Although healthcare presents formidable challenges, many of the needed solutions can be adapted from innovations in other industries, including those where our corporate partners have been leaders,” Rardin said. “The Center’s efforts will focus on identifying and replicating best-practice solutions, as well as conducting novel research to address technology gaps and roadblocks.”
The Regenstrief Center continues collaboration with Rardin and the University of Arkansas on an Engineering Research Center grant application to the National Science Foundation. Other collaborating universities include North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T, and the University of South Florida.
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Steven Witz named St. Vincent Health Chair of Healthcare Engineering
In February 2007, the Purdue Board of Trustees named Steven M. Witz, director of the Regenstrief Center, as the St. Vincent Health Chair of Healthcare Engineering. The chair is funded as a part of a $1.5M contribution from Ascension Health and its largest ministry, St. Vincent Health, with a network of 16 hospitals serving a region of 45 Indiana counties. St. Vincent Health is a Regenstrief Center strategic partner, providing center researchers with “living laboratories,” allowing important access to physicians, nurses and management staff.
The recipient of the chair professorship is expected to provide leadership in discovery, learning and engagement related to healthcare engineering.
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St. Vincent Health holds its annual Research Symposium
St. Vincent Health will feature Dr. Hyung Kim, Vice President, Research & Development, Ascension Health and Dr. Virginia Caine, Director, Marion County Health Department as keynote speakers at the St. Vincent Research Symposium on June 13. The symposium will be held at the Lilly Conference Center at the Marten House in Indianapolis. Space is limited - registration information is available at www.purdue.edu/rche. For more information, call 317-338-2455.
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Save the Date: Regenstrief Center 2007 Fall Symposium
Connect with other Purdue healthcare researchers on September 18 at the Regenstrief Center’s fall symposium, “Transforming Healthcare Delivery: Multidisciplinary Research at Purdue.”
As a follow-up to the 2006 fall symposium on healthcare research in Purdue’s College of Engineering, this year’s symposium will highlight research advances in liberal arts, social sciences, nursing and technology. Purdue faculty and collaborators will present Purdue’s multidisciplinary research efforts in the areas of obesity, mental illness, prevention, work and health, patient/physician interaction, health organizational management, and care across the lifespan. Symposium attendees can learn about healthcare research opportunities at Purdue, network with potential mentors, collaborators and students, and explore new research directions with colleagues from a variety of disciplines.
The symposium is free to Purdue faculty, students, staff and collaborators. Registration will be available on July 1 at www.purdue.edu/rche.
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Annual Conference explores healthcare delivery for the next generation
Two national healthcare leaders addressed the top priorities for transforming the U.S. healthcare system on April 23 during the Spring Discovery Lecture Series, organized by the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering, Purdue University and the Lilly Endowment. Stephen Shortell, Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, and Karen Davis, President of the Commonwealth Fund, discussed research opportunities to achieve a system that provides accessible, quality and coordinated healthcare.
In his talk, "Marriage of Medicine and Management: Sustaining Improvement in Delivery, Quality, Cost and Outcomes," Shortell focused on the need to address both the content of care (evidence-based medicine) and the context of care (evidence-based management) in order to impact the “three-legged stool” of access, cost and quality in healthcare delivery. He stressed that progress must be made in each area in order to sustain meaningful system transformation.
Davis’ talk, titled “ The Road to Improving National Performance of Healthcare Delivery," reviewed findings from the national healthcare quality scorecard recently released by Commonwealth. She described seven keys to transforming the healthcare system, including healthcare insurance for all, increasing transparency, and pursuing excellence in safe, efficient and effective care.
"Dr. Shortell has established himself as a national expert and academic leader, especially in how the gaps affect the effective delivery of proper care as well as the impact of budget cuts on the system, notably community services," said Regenstrief Center director Steven Witz.
"Dr. Davis has documented the problems facing the nation's health-care system, pointing out inefficiencies that result in poor-quality care and lost value, consumers forced into debt and bankruptcy to pay for medical bills, and above all, the increasing number of Americans who go without the security of health insurance coverage."
Shortell and Davis also served to kick off the Regenstrief Center’s Annual Conference, “Advancing the Future of Healthcare Delivery: Access, Quality and Responsibility,” continuing on April 24. Conference sessions featured healthcare experts from industry and academia discussing the national issues of equitable access, consumer-driven health care, wellness and prevention, and alternative models for providing care. A review of these sessions will be featured in the next newsletter issue.
PowerPoint presentations from the conference are now available on-line at www.purdue.edu/dp/dls/rche; video versions of the conference will be posted in the near future.
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Career opportunity with the Purdue Technical Assistance Program
The Purdue Technical Assistance Program is currently recruiting for the following position:
Director, Pharmacy Technical Assistance Program
This position will establish a major new initiative to improve performance, safety, and quality in the medication delivery and product development system. This position will be located in the Purdue Intech offices in Indianapolis. A pharmacy degree is required.
For more information, see “Featured News” at www.purdue.edu/rche.
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Google searches lead to Regenstrief Center research
http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/rche |
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The Regenstrief Center is pleased to introduce the RCHE Online Document Library. The library, developed with Purdue Libraries, is now accepting abstracts and documents from Purdue researchers that feature center-related research. The goal is to provide internal and external researchers, students and healthcare professionals a view of the breadth and depth of the center's on-going activities. The on-line library is also included in Google keyword searches, facilitating wider dissemination of research outcomes.
Visit the on-line library to post your research or search for papers, presentations and/or abstracts. For posting guidelines, visit www.purdue.edu/rche and select the headings, “Research” and “Articles.” To search through posted documents, visit http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/rche.
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Purdue dedicated $12.4 million Mann Hall in Discovery Park
Gerald D. and Edna E. Mann Hall |
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On Tuesday, May 15, Purdue University marked the completion of Gerald D. and Edna E. Mann Hall, a $12.4 million facility for Discovery Park research centers focusing on healthcare engineering, advanced manufacturing, cancer detection and treatment, systems analysis and homeland security.
Mann Hall provides offices for 100 researchers and staff from several centers including e-Enterprise Center, Center for Advanced Manufacturing, Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering, Oncological Sciences Center and Purdue Homeland Security Institute. The building is located at 203 S. Intramural Drive on the southwest edge of campus.
“This facility in Discovery Park will help us centralize and advance the tremendous research success we’ve generated from these key centers, said Purdue President Martin C. Jischke. “This building will be home to an all-star cast of centers and their researchers.”
Gerald “Jerry” Mann and his wife, Edna, donated the initial $3 million for constructing the 50,000-square-foot, two-story building. A Newport, N.C., native, Gerald Mann received his master’s degree in civil engineering from Purdue in 1956. With the assistance of Edna as his financial and management advisor, he started American Testing and Engineering Corp, which grew to 1,500 employees in 52 offices. He also is founder and senior partner at Mann Properties LLC, a commercial and residential real estate firm and family business.
Twenty-five percent of the building’s 20,000 assignable square feet is dedicated to the Regenstrief Center, including administrative offices, cubicle space for graduate researchers, a conference room, and collaboration spaces.
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