Service Operations Management

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This research  will investigate statistical and mathematical models to inform planning and management of systems of waiting lines in general and emergency medical services (EMS) systems in particular.  We will investigate methods to forecast EMS call volumes over time and space, the way in which system load impacts the time paramedics spend at the scene of an emergency and whether they transport the patient to a hospital, and methods to balance EMS load across the emergency departments in a city.  At a more general level, I will formulate and analyse mathematical models of waiting lines that incorporate recent empirical findings indicating that customers and servers adapt their behaviour in response to changes in load.  For example, servers initially speed up as load increases but eventually slow down due to fatigue if load remains high for an extended period.  As another example, servers might change their behaviour towards the end of their shift.  I will also study the process of translating empirical findings into tractable mathematical models that can be used to support planning. At an academic level, this research program will contribute to the fields of operations research, operations management in the healthcare and service sectors, and EMS planning and management.  It will address fundamental issues regarding the interplay between empirical studies of queueing systems, which quantify how mean service times depend on various factors, and mathematical models of queueing systems, which are formulated in terms of service rates. At a practical level, this research will contribute to the development of improved planning methods for EMS systems and other service systems. Patients receiving emergency care in particular and customers receiving service in general, in Canada and elsewhere, will benefit from planning that matches supply and demand more effectively and efficiently.