Topic: Appointment Scheduling for Mohs Micrographic Surgery

Speaker: Prof. Mark Lawley, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University

Time: July 23, 2013 at 10h30 AM

Venue: A701

Inviter: Prof. Xiaolan Xie (xie@sjtu.edu.cn)

Abstract:
Mohs Micrographic Surgery (MMS) is a surgical method used for the excision of skin cancers in areas of cosmetic importance such as the face and hands. The skin cancer is removed one layer at a time, each layer being examined for the presence of cancer cells. When a cancer free layer is identified, no additional layers are taken and wound repair follows. This practice has gained popularity worldwide for its low recurrence rates and cosmetic results. Unfortunately, patients often experience long in-clinic wait times due to the stochastic nature of layer removal, and almost no research exists on MMS clinical scheduling. In current practice the morning session is divided into slots, with one patient arriving per slot. The afternoon session is used to complete all required procedures for those morning patients. In this work, we use stochastic modeling to investigate MMS scheduling with the goal of improving patient experience while enhancing clinic revenues. We develop a sequential scheduling method that balances patient wait time, clinic overtime and revenue while considering stochastic complications such as processing time variance, no-show behavior, and the number of procedures per patient. Early simulation results indicate significant improvements over current practice.

Introduction of speaker:
Mark Lawley is Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University. Before joining Biomedical Engineering in 2007, he served nine years as Assistant and Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering, also at Purdue, two years as Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Alabama, and he has held engineering positions with Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Emerson Electric Company, and the Bevill Center for Advanced Manufacturing Technology. As a researcher, he has authored over 100 technical papers including book chapters, conference papers, and refereed journal articles, and has won four best paper awards for his work in systems optimization and control. As an educator, he has received several teaching commendations including Outstanding Industrial Engineering Faculty Member from the University of Alabama and the James H. Green Graduate Educator Award from Purdue University. He received the PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 1995.