Spring 2022 Office Hours

Tuesday and Thursdays, 1pm-2pm and Fridays 4-5 pm via zoom. 

Dr Özgür Araz is Associate Professor in the Supply Chain Management and Analytics Department. His research interests include systems simulation, business analytics, healthcare operations and public health informatics. His research had been supported by NIH, Veterans Engineering Resource Center (VERC), HDR company, Boys Town of Nebraska, Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska. Before joining the College of Business at UNL, he served as a faculty member of the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). He received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University and was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics of The University of Texas at Austin.

Dr Araz’s published research appeared in peer review journals including Production and Operations Management, Decision Sciences, INFORMS Journal on Computing, Annals of Operations Research, Decision Support Systems, International Journal of Production Economics, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, in addition to high impact medical and health care journals such as American Journal of Public Health, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Obesity, Medical Care, American Journal of Emergency Medicine, among many others. He is a member of INFORMS, POMS (Production and Operations Management Society), Decision Sciences Institute, System Dynamics Society and HIMSS (Healthcare Information Management Systems Society).  He is an editorial advisory board member of the Transportation Research Part -E and also serves as associate editor for Decision Sciences and IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering journals. He is the Public Health Informatics Area Editor for the Health Systems journal. He is also a faculty fellow of Nebraska Governace and Technology Center and Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

1. Sajeesh S, Araz OM, Huang TTK. Market positioning in food industry in response to public health policies. Accepted, Production and Operations Management, March 2022.
2. Brittin J, Araz OM, Ramirez A, Huang T. An agent-based simulation model for testing novel obesity interventions in school environment. Accepted, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, June 2021. 
3. Ertem Z, Araz OM, Cruz-Aponte M. A decision analytic approach for social distancing policies during early stages of COVID-19 pandemic. Accepted, Decision Support Systems, June 2021.
4. Tatar M, Jalali M, Tak HJ, Chen LW, Araz OM, Wilson F. Impact of Florida’s prescription drug monitoring program on fatal vehicle crashes: a difference-in-differences approach. Accepted, BMJ Injury Prevention, May 2021. 
5. Araz OM, Cruz-Aponte M, Hanisch B, Margalit Stashefsky R, Wilson FA. An analytical framework for effective public health program design using correctional facilities. INFORMS Journal on Computing. In Press, December 2020. 
6. Briseno H, Ramirez-Nafarrate A, Araz OM. A multivariate analysis of hybrid and electrical vehicles sales in Mexico. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences. In press, October 2020. 
7. Araz OM, Ramirrez NA, Jehn M, Wilson F. The importance of widespread testing for COVID-19 pandemic: systems thinking for drive-through testing sites. Health Systems, 9, 2, 119–123 2020.
8. Araz OM, Wilson F, Stimpson JP. Complex systems modeling for evaluating potential impact of traffic safety policies: a case on drug-involved fatal crashes. Annals of Operations Research (2020) 291, 37-58. 
9. Araz OM, Choi T, Olson D, Salman S. Role of analytics for operational risk management in the era of big data. In press (2020) Decision Sciences. 
10. Araz OM. Community supported agriculture: systems thinking in action. American Journal of Public Health (2020) 110, 1, 19-21 (Editorial note). 
11. Ramirrez NA, Araz OM, Fowler JW. Decision assessment algorithms for location and capacity optimization under resource shortages. In press (2019) Decision Sciences org/10.1111/deci.12418. 
12. Frerichs L, Araz OM, Calancie L, Huang TTK, Hassmiller Lich K. Dynamic empirically-based model for understanding future trends in US obesity prevalence in the context of social influences. Obesity (2019) 27 (10) 1671-1681. 
13. Araz OM, Olson D, Ramirez NA. Predictive analytics for hospital admissions from the emergency department using triage information. International Journal of Production Economics (2019) 208, 199-207. 
14. Baccaglini L, Araz OM, Beachy M, Ash M, Naveed Z, Whitsitt B, Winterboer T, Haynatzki G. Predictive factors associated with in-hospital mortality for patients across the sepsis spectrum. Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice (2019) 27, 5, 273-277.
15. Haley S, Li S, Yardim M, Uner, Unlu H, Arslan U, Araz OM, Ozcebe H, Bilir N, Huang T. Perceptions of obesity prevention policies: socioeconomic assessment in the Turkish capital. Journal of Pediatric Nursing (2019) 44, 20-27 
16. Steenson S, Ozcebe H, Arslan U, Unlu H, Araz OM, Yardim M, Uner S, Bilir N, Huang T. Assessing the validity and reliability of family factors on physical activity: a case study in Turkey.  PLoS One (2018) 13 (6), e0197920.
17. Yardim M, Ozcebe H, Araz OM, Uner S, Li S, Unlu H, Arslan U, Bilir N, Huang T. Alarming prevalence of childhood obesity and related parental factors across three socio-economic strata in Ankara, Turkey. EMHJ- World Health Organization Journal 25, 6, 374-384. 
18. Huang HC, Araz OM, Morton D, Johnson G, Damien P, Clements B, Meyers LA. Stockpiling ventilators for an influenza pandemic. Emerging Infectious Diseases (2017) 23 (6), 914-921. (IF=7.15).
19. Cramer M, Araz OM, Wendl M. Social networking in an agricultural research center: using data to enhance outcomes. Journal of Agromedicine (2017) 22, 2, 170-179. 
20. Zhu H, Wilson FA, Stimpson JP, Araz OM, Kim J, Chen B, Wu L. The association between gasoline prices and hospital utilization and costs for motorcycle and non-motorcycle motor vehicle injuries. Medical Care (2016) 54, 9, 837-844. (IF=3.795).
21. Buke B, Araz OM, Fowler JW. Cross training workers with imperfect training schemes. Production and Operations Management (2016) 25, 7, 1216-1231. 
22. Wilson FA, Araz OM, Thompson RW, Ringle JL, Mason WA, Stimpson JP. A decision support tool to determine cost-to-benefit of a family-centered in-home program for at-risk adolescents. Evaluation and Program Planning (2016) 56, 43-39. (IF=1.240).
23. Ramirez NA, Fowler JW, Lyon J, Araz OM. Point-of-dispensing location and capacity optimization via a decision support system. Production and Operations Management (2015) 24, 8, 1311-1328.
24. Brittin J, Elijah-Barnwell S, Huang T, Yunwoo N, Araz OM, Drummond WR, Jameton A, Friedow B. Community engaged public health research to inform hospital campus planning in a low socioeconomic status urban neighborhood. HERD Journal: Health Environments Research & Design (2015) 8, 4, 12-24. 
25. Brittin J, Araz OM, Nam Y, Huang T. A system dynamics model to simulate chronic disease trends and sustainable interventions in an urban community. Journal of Simulation (2015) 9, 2, 140-155.
26. *Araz OM, Fowler JW, Ramirez A. A genetic algorithm for optimizing service times during a public health emergency: locating dispensing sites and allocating medical staff. IIE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering (2014) 4, 4, 178-190. * Featured in the Industrial Engineer Magazine.
27. Kuby M, Araz OM, Capar I, Palmer M. An efficient online mapping tool for finding the shortest feasible path for alternative fuel vehicles. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (2014) 39, 32, 18433-18439. 
28. Araz OM, Bentley D, Muelleman R. Using Google Flu Trends data in forecasting influenza-like-illness- related emergency department visits in Omaha, Nebraska. American Journal of Emergency Medicine (2014) 32, 9, 1016-1023. 
29. Stimpson JP, Wilson FA, Araz OM, Pagan JA. Share of mass transit miles traveled and reduced motor vehicle fatalities in major cities of the United States. Journal of Urban Health (2014) 91, 6, 1136-1143.
30. Frerichs L, Araz OM, Huang T. Modeling social transmission dynamics of unhealthy behaviors for evaluating prevention and treatment intervention on childhood obesity. PLOS One (2013) 8, 12: e82887.
31. Araz OM, Lant T, Jehn M, Fowler JW. Simulation modeling for pandemic decision making: a case study with bi-criteria analysis on school closures. Decision Support Systems (2013) 55, 2, 564-575.
32. Araz OM, Jehn M. Improving public health preparedness through enhanced decision-making environments: a survey based evaluation. Technological Forecasting and Social Change (2013) 80, 9, 1775-1781. 
33. Araz OM, Galvani A, Meyers LA. Geographic prioritization of distributing pandemic influenza vaccines. Healthcare Management Science (2012) 15, 3: 175-187. 
34. Araz OM, Damien P, Paltiel D, Burke S, van de Geijn B, Galvani A, Meyers LA. Simulating school closure policies for cost effective pandemic decision making. BMC Public Health (2012) 12:449.
35. Araz OM, Jehn M, Lant T, Fowler JW. A new method of exercising pandemic preparedness through an interactive simulation and visualization. Journal of Medical Systems (2012) 36, 1475-1483.
36. Rastogi A, Fowler JW, Carlyle WM, Araz OM, Meltz A, Buke B. Supply network capacity planning for semiconductor manufacturing with uncertain demand and correlation in demand considerations. International Journal of Production Economics (2011) 134, 2, 322-332.
37. Araz OM, Lant T, Fowler JW, Jehn M. A simulation model for policy decision analysis: a case of influenza pandemic on a university campus. Journal of Simulation (2011) 5, 89-100. 

• SCMA 451: Introduction to Predictive Analytics
• SCMA 851: Predictive Analytics
• SCMA 452: Database Management and Organization
• SCMA 432: Supply Chain Planning and Control
• SCMA 335: Supply Chain Decision Making Models

EDITORIAL SERVICE IN JOURNALS

• Decision Sciences, Associate Editor 
• Transportation Research Part–E, Editorial Advisory Board Member 
• IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering, Associate Editor
• Health Systems, Public Health Area Editor