Media Coverage

Media articles featuring INFORMS members in the news.

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What Other States Are Doing That Alabama Isn't to Roll Out COVID Vaccine

What Other States Are Doing That Alabama Isn't to Roll Out COVID Vaccine

AL.com, January 29, 2021

A person living in West Virginia is almost twice as likely to have gotten a COVID-19 vaccine than a person in Alabama. The same goes for Connecticut, New Mexico and North Dakota. Alaskans are more than twice as likely to have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. For people in Alabama, checking the national COVID vaccine statistics has been an exercise in frustration, as Alabama in January hovered near or at the very bottom of state rankings in terms of percentage of the population vaccinated and percentage of doses received that have been administered.

Pandemic Help Wanted: Fast Food Managers, Road Race Experts

Pandemic Help Wanted: Fast Food Managers, Road Race Experts

NBC 21 WFMJ, January 29, 2021

A year into the coronavirus pandemic, Americans are painfully aware that overcoming the scourge is a marathon, not a sprint. Enter Dave McGillivray, who knows a thing or two about endurance events — and logistics. The race director of the Boston Marathon, which is on hold until fall, has been tapped by the state of Massachusetts to run mass vaccination operations at Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park. Idled at his day job by the pandemic, he's part of an emerging group of event organizers and other unconventional logistics experts who are using their skills to help the nation vaccinate as many people against COVID-19 as possible.

“It's amazing how our event management skill set can be applied to running a massive vaccination site," said McGillivray, who has been directing the marathon — with its many moving parts — for more than three decades.

‘Simply Ineffective': Lawmakers, Experts Slam Mass. COVID Vaccination Rollout

‘Simply Ineffective': Lawmakers, Experts Slam Mass. COVID Vaccination Rollout

NECN, January 28, 2021

Lawmakers, experts and residents continued to criticize Massachusetts' vaccination rollout, Thursday, calling on the Baker administration to fix what they call a cumbersome and confusing sign-up process. On Thursday, state Sen. Eric Lesser filed legislation that would direct the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to immediately create a one-stop online sign-up for vaccinations accessible from desktop computer as well as mobile devices; as well as a phone hotline immediately be established in multiple languages. “The Phase 2 vaccine rollout is creating mass confusion and anxiety for our eligible senior population," Lesser said. "The system is cumbersome, contradictory, and asks residents over 75 to navigate a haze of web links, locations, and instructions, each with different criteria and scheduling systems."

Risk-Based Analytics Can Breakdown COVID-19 Vaccination Bottlenecks

Risk-Based Analytics Can Breakdown COVID-19 Vaccination Bottlenecks

The Hill, January 26, 2021

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) relaxed COVID-19 vaccine restrictions and the vaccine supply is growing, yet some areas are begging for more vaccines to meet demand. The Biden administration is offering hope, but bottlenecks persist throughout the vaccine supply chain. Are they at the vaccine manufacturers, in the distribution system in getting vaccines to the states or the last mile of getting them into people’s arms? The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) PreCheck program uses risk-based analytics to enable millions of people to receive expedited airport security screening in exchange for identity verification, including a background check.

25 Investigates: Back of the Pack, Mass. Struggles to Keep Vaccine Pace with Other States

25 Investigates: Back of the Pack, Mass. Struggles to Keep Vaccine Pace with Other States

Boston 25 News, January 26, 2021

25 Investigates has reported for weeks that many states are outpacing Massachusetts in COVID-19 vaccine distribution. And, we continue to ask why. Massachusetts health officials have frequently blamed the federal government, under the Trump administration, for the slow and bumpy rollout of the vaccines here in the Commonwealth. On Monday, Governor Charlie Baker defended the Massachusetts rollout plan, saying the Commonwealth’s plan was designed to protect vulnerable communities, including people in nursing homes and areas disproportionately affected. He says other states did not prioritize those groups, which he says require a lot of outreach.

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Artificial Intelligence

Study finds ChatGPT mirrors human decision biases in half the tests

Study finds ChatGPT mirrors human decision biases in half the tests

Celebrity Gig, April 2, 2025

Can we really trust AI to make better decisions than humans? A new study says … not always. Researchers have discovered that OpenAI’s ChatGPT, one of the most advanced and popular AI models, makes the same kinds of decision-making mistakes as humans in some situations—showing biases like overconfidence of hot-hand (gambler’s) fallacy—yet acting inhuman in others (e.g., not suffering from base-rate neglect or sunk cost fallacies).

Why 23andMe’s Genetic Data Could Be a ‘Gold Mine’ for AI Companies

Why 23andMe’s Genetic Data Could Be a ‘Gold Mine’ for AI Companies

TIME, March 26, 2025

The genetic testing company 23andMe, which holds the genetic data of 15 million people, declared bankruptcy on Sunday night after years of financial struggles. This means that all of the extremely personal user data could be up for sale—and that vast trove of genetic data could draw interest from AI companies looking to train their data sets, experts say.

Healthcare

Want to reduce the cost of healthcare? Start with our billing practices.

Want to reduce the cost of healthcare? Start with our billing practices.

The Hill, March 11, 2025

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as the new secretary of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s de facto healthcare czar. He will have influence over numerous highly visible agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, among others. Given that healthcare is something that touches everyone’s life, his footprint of influence will be expansive. 

We all benefit from and are hurt by health insurance claim denials

We all benefit from and are hurt by health insurance claim denials

Atlanta Journal Constitution, January 23, 2025

Health insurance has become necessary, with large and unpredictable health care costs always looming before each of us. Unfortunately, the majority of people have experienced problems when using their health insurance to pay for their medical care. Health insurance serves as the buffer between patients and the medical care system, using population pooling to mitigate the risk exposure on any one individual.

Supply Chain

LM Podcast Series: Looking at the state of the supply chain with Rob Handfield

LM Podcast Series: Looking at the state of the supply chain with Rob Handfield

Logistics Management/, April 22, 2025

During this podcast Handfield addressed various topics, including: the current state of the supply chain; steps and actions shippers should consider related to tariffs; how the supply chain is viewed; the need for supply chain resiliency; and supply chain risk mangement planning, among others. 

Tariff fight continues between U.S. and China

Tariff fight continues between U.S. and China

FOX News, April 18, 2025

Oklahoma State University's Sunderesh Heragu joins LiveNOW's Austin Westfall to discuss the evolving economic landscape after President Trump implemented tariffs on some of our biggest trade partners. Most tariffs have been halted for now -- but not with China. Beijing and the White House have levied steep tariffs on each other. Trump announced that tariffs on China would reach 145 percent. In response, China imposed 125 percent tariffs on U.S.-imported goods.

Climate