Resources Repository
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ReviewPublication 2016Remembering Howard Raiffa
Howard Raiffa (1924-2016) had a profound influence on all aspects of the decision sciences and on …
Howard Raiffa (1924-2016) had a profound influence on all aspects of the decision sciences and on the fields of systems analysis and operations research. He guided the introduction of the decision sciences into numerous fields such as business, medicine, public health, the environmental sciences, and law, and was instrumental in building world-recognized institutions such as the Kennedy School at Harvard and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis near Vienna, Austria. This article is a thoughtful tribute by…
Decision Theory | Preferences/Values | Decision Analysis | Operations Research | Business/Industry | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Military/Defense | North America -
ArticlePublication 2016Identifying Cost-Effective Dynamic Policies to Control Epidemics
This paper describes a mathematical decision model for identifying dynamic health policies for controlling epidemics. …
This paper describes a mathematical decision model for identifying dynamic health policies for controlling epidemics. The dynamic policies aim to select the best current intervention based on accumulating epidemic data and the availability of resources at each decision point. An algorithm is proposed to approximate dynamic policies that optimize the population's net health benefit, a performance measure which accounts for both health and monetary outcomes. The authors further illustrate how dynamic policies can be defined and…
Dynamic Transmission | Mathematical Models | Dynamic Simulation | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Health/Medicine -
Lesson/ModuleWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2016DNA Evidence: Case Study in Probabilities
This educational module on DNA evidence presents trial testimony, exhibits, and opinions in a case …
This educational module on DNA evidence presents trial testimony, exhibits, and opinions in a case in which federal courts at every level discerned “inaccuracies” in the testimony of a leading expert about probabilities associated with the DNA evidence. By embedding these legal materials in background explanations, critical questions, and short problems, the module supports self-study and class discussions that together can elucidate key principles in scientific reasoning and quantitative analysis and that can help students…
Test Performance | Probability/Bayes | Risk Analysis | Injuries/Accidents | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Global | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Quantitative Literacy -
Lesson/ModuleWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2016Placing a Bet: New Therapy for Parkinson's Disease
This module is intended for use by business school students. It examines the decision-making process …
This module is intended for use by business school students. It examines the decision-making process at a pharmaceutical company as its chief operating officer decides whether to invest in the development and licensing of a promising treatment for Parkinson’s disease. The module is structured around a drug development case that provides students with opportunities to: (1) analyze a rich and realistic description of the complex scientific and medical results associated with a promising therapeutic molecule…
Test Performance | Technology Assessment | Chronic Disease/Risk | Policy/Regulation | Business/Industry | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Global | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Quantitative Literacy -
Lesson/ModuleWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2016Educational Module: Forensic Pattern Recognition
This module uses latent print (fingerprint) identification as a case study of the broader category …
This module uses latent print (fingerprint) identification as a case study of the broader category of forensic pattern recognition evidence. The case of forensic pattern recognition evidence is meant, in turn, to be a case study of the broader issue of the interaction between science and law and policy. The case of fingerprinting identification poses challenging questions for legal professionals and policy-makers. Although fingerprint identification is one of the most widely used and widely trusted…
Decision Theory | Probability/Bayes | Decision Analysis | Policy/Regulation | Government/Law | Science/Technology | Global | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Quantitative Literacy -
ArticlePublication 2016Estimating Benefits of Regulations Affecting Addictive Goods
The question of how to evaluate lost consumer surplus in benefit−cost analyses is controversial. There …
The question of how to evaluate lost consumer surplus in benefit−cost analyses is controversial. There are clear health benefits of regulations that curb consumption of goods with health risks, such as tobacco products and foods high in fats, calories, sugar, and sodium. Yet, if regulations cause consumers to give up goods they like, the health benefits they experience may be offset by some utility loss, which benefit−cost analyses of regulations need to take into account.…
Decision Theory | Preferences/Values | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Mental Health | Health/Medicine -
GuidelinesPublication 2016Methods for Health Economic Evaluation of Vaccines
This article describes the development of a consensus for health economic evaluations of vaccines to …
This article describes the development of a consensus for health economic evaluations of vaccines to support the development of national guidelines in Europe. While guidelines advocating more standardization of health economic evaluations exist, this article aims to address several immunization-specific aspects (e.g. indirect effects or discounting approach) which are still a subject of debate. The systematic literature review search was informed by expert opinion. 2,838 articles were returned from the search and 26 were finally…
Dynamic Transmission | Costing Methods | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Health/Medicine | Europe -
ReviewPublication 2016Choosing an Epidemiological Model Structure for Economic Evaluation
This review presents a taxonomy of epidemiological model structures and applies it to the economic …
This review presents a taxonomy of epidemiological model structures and applies it to the economic evaluation of public health interventions for non-communicable diseases. Growing pressures on health services and on social care have led to a greater need for prevention of chronic diseases. In order for decision makers to make informed judgements about how to best spend finite public health resources, they must be able to quantify the anticipated costs, benefits, and opportunity costs of…
Dynamic Transmission | Mathematical Models | State-Transition | Microsimulation | Dynamic Simulation | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Environmental Health | Health Systems | Climate/Environment | Culture/Society | Health/Medicine -
ReviewPublication 2016Dynamic Transmission Economic Evaluation of Infectious Disease in LMIC
Economic evaluation using dynamic transmission models is important for capturing the indirect effects of infectious …
Economic evaluation using dynamic transmission models is important for capturing the indirect effects of infectious disease interventions. The authors examine the use of these methods in low- and middle-income countries, where infectious diseases constitute a major burden. The review is comprised of two parts: (1) a summary of dynamic transmission economic evaluations across all disease areas published between 2011 and mid-2014 and (2) an in-depth review of mosquito-borne disease studies focusing on health economic methods…
Dynamic Transmission | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa | Middle East & North Africa | Latin America & Caribbean | Asia & Pacific