Ruben Proano Headshot

Ruben Proano

Associate Professor

Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Kate Gleason College of Engineering
Data Analytics
Healthcare Systems
rpmeie@rit.edu
585-475-4236
Office Location
GLE-1595

Ruben Proano

Associate Professor

Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Kate Gleason College of Engineering
Data Analytics
Healthcare Systems

Education

BS, Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador); MS, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Bio

Dr. Rubén Proa–o received a Ph.D. and a M.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador, and is United World Colleges (UWC) alumnus. 

Dr. Proa–o’s research focuses on the application of optimization models to the solution of problems affecting healthcare delivery, and the supply of pediatric vaccines. His work has been published in Healthcare Management Science, Vaccines, Journal of Industrial and Management Optimization, and Omega. Dr. Proa–o enjoys teaching and interacting with students and actively introduces students to healthcare systems engineering problems. Dr. Proa–o believes in the benefits of a multicultural education and he is convinced that Operations Research, 'The Science of Better' (see http://www.scienceofbetter.org/), provides the tools to engineer decision-making and has an important role to play in international development.

http://people.rit.edu/rpmeie/

Select Publications

  • Dhamodharan A., Proano R.A., Determining the optimal vaccine vial size in developing countries: A Monte Carlo simulation approach, Healthcare Management Science (2012), doi:10.1007/s10729-012-9200-4, 15: 188-196.
  • Proano R.A., Jacobson S.H., Zhang W., Making combination vaccines more accessible to low-income countries: The antigen bundle pricing problem, Omega, (2012) doi:10.1016/j.omega.2011.03.006, 40 (1):53-64.
  • Proano R.A., Jacobson S.H., Jokela J., A multi-attribute approach for setting pediatric vaccines stockpiles, Journal of Industrial and Management Optimization, (2010) 6(4): 709-727.

Select Talks

  • Using mathematical modeling to make combination vaccines more affordable and profitable, Phacilitate Vaccine Forum 2012, Washington D.C., January 2012.
  • Invited panelists to the Institute of Medicine Committee on Identifying and Prioritizing New Preventive Vaccines for Development, National Academy of Engineering, Washington D.C., May 2011.
  • Spreading the cure: Making combination vaccines more affordable to low-income countries, UNU Midday Forum Program, United Nations Head Quarters, NYC, US, October 2010.
rpmeie@rit.edu
585-475-4236
Personal Links
Personal Website

Select Scholarship

Published Conference Proceedings
Alves-Maciel, Bruno and Ruben A. Proano. "Exploring Market Segment Assignment Strategies to Monopsonistic Entities in a Hypothetically Coordinated Vaccine Market." Proceedings of the Winter Simulation Conference. Ed. S. Kim, et al. Phoenix, Arizona: n.p., 2021. Web.
Bullard, Joseph, et al. "Towards Early Dementia Detection: Fusing Linguistic and Non-Linguistic Clinical Data." Proceedings of the Proceedings of the Third Workshop on Computational Lingusitics and Clinical Psychology, June 2016, CA. Ed. Kristy Hollingshead and Lyle Ungar. San Diego, CA: Association of Computational Lingustics, 2016. Web.
Bullard, Joseph, et al. "Inference from Structured and Unstructured Electronic Medical Data for Dementia Detection." Proceedings of the 14th INFORMS Computing Society Conference. Ed. Brian Borchers, J.Paul Brooks, and Laura McLay. Richmond, Virginia: n.p., 2015. Print.
Bullard, Joseph, et al. "Inference from Structured and Unstructured Electronic Medical Data for Early Dementia Detection." Proceedings of the INFORMS Computing Society Conference. Ed. Brian Borchers, J. Paul Brooks, and Laura McLay. Richmond, VA: n.p., 2014. Print.
Schmoke, Timothy and Ruben A Proano. "Mitigating Subjectivity in Multi-attribute Group-decision Making Problems." Proceedings of the 2013 Industrial and Systems Engineering Research Conference, May 2013, San Juan. Ed. A. Krisnamurthy and W.K.V Chan. San Juan, Puerto Rico: n.p., Print.
Tolentino-Pena, Manuel, Ruben A. Proano, and Michael Kuhl. "Optimization of Inpatient Hemodialysis Scheduling Considering Efficiency and Treatment Delays." Proceedings of the 2013 Industrial and Systems Engineering Research Conference, May 2013, San Juan. Ed. A. Krisnamurthy and W.K.V Chan. San Juan, Puerto Rico: n.p., Print.
Lehrman, M T, C O Alm, and R A Proano. "Detecting Distressed and Non-distressed Affect States in Short Forum Text." Proceedings of the 2012 Workshop on Language in Social Media (LSM 2012). Ed. Meena Nagarajan. Montreal, Canada: n.p., 2012. Print.
Cignarale, C and R.A Proano. "Optimizing Patient-to-bed Assignments Under Isolation Requirements." Proceedings of the 2012 Industrial and Systems Engineering Research Conference. Ed. Bill Gibbs. Orlando, FL: ISERC, 2012. Print.
Esterman, M, et al. "Design for Assembly Line Performance: The Link Between DFA and Line Performance Metrics." Proceedings of the 2012 International Forum on Design for Manufacture and Assembly. Ed. Unknown. Providence, R.I.: n.p., 2012. Web.
Dhamodharan, Aswin, Ruben A. Proano, and Kumar Seshavadhani. "A Stochastic Approach to Determine the Optimal Vaccine Vial Size." Proceedings of the Industrial Engineering Research Conference. Ed. T. Doolen and E. Van Aken. Reno, NV: n.p., 2011. Web.
Kotagiri, Rohita, Ruben A. Proano, and Michael Kuhl. "Vaccine Vendor Managed Inventory: The Effect of Using Birth Forecast." Proceedings of the Industrial Engineering Research Conference. Ed. T. Doolen and E. Van Aken. Reno, NV: n.p., 2011. Web.
Pommier, Mauricio and Ruben A. Proano. "Dynamic Pricing Strategy to Optimally Allocate Vaccines." Proceedings of the Industrial Engineering Research Conference. Ed. T. Doolen and E. Van Aken. Reno, NV: n.p., 2011. Web.
Invited Keynote/Presentation
Proano, Ruben A. "A Centralized Ebola Vaccine Safety Stock for Sub-Saharan Africa." INFORMS Healthcare. Institute of Operations Research and Management Science. Indianapolis, Indiana. 21 Jul. 2021. Conference Presentation.
Proano, Ruben A. "Exploring a Multi-tiered priced Pediatric Vaccine Gavi Market via OR." INFORMS Annual Meeting. Institute of Operations Research and Management Science. Anaheim, California. 27 Oct. 2021. Conference Presentation.
Encarnacion, Trilce and Ruben A. Proano. "MIF Undergraduate Student Day." INFORMS Annual Meeting. Institute of Operations Research and Management Science. Anaheim, California. 25 Oct. 2021. Conference Presentation.
Proano, Ruben A. "Insights from an Optimization-based Approach Forredesigning the Global Vaccine Market." International Conference on Industrial Engineering. Society of Industrial and Systems Engineers. Quito, Ecuador. 22 Feb. 2019. Keynote Speech.
Proano, Ruben A. "Enhancing Affordability and Profitability in the Global Vaccine Market via Market Coordination." INFORMS Healthcare. INFORMS,. Cambridge, MA. 27 Jul. 2019. Conference Presentation.
Proano, Ruben A. "An OR-based Hypothetically Coordinated Vaccine Market." INFORMS Annual Meeting. INFORMS. Seattle, WA. 23 Oct. 2019. Conference Presentation.
Proano, Ruben A. "Insights from a Study on a Hypothetically Coordinated Vaccine Market." UNICEF Supply Division Meeting. UNICEF Vaccine Center. Copenhagen, Denmark. 12 Nov. 2019. Guest Lecture.
Proano, Ruben A. "Improving Vaccine Affordability via and Optimization-Based Coordinated Market." 6th Biennial Workshop on Information Intensive Services. Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University. Syracuse, NY. 22 Sep. 2017. Conference Presentation.
Proano, Ruben A. "Optimial Bed Assignment In Multi-Occupancy Facilities." INFORMS Annual Conference. Institute of Operations Research and Management Science. Houston, TX. 23 Oct. 2017. Conference Presentation.
Proano, Ruben A. "ING.INDUSTRIAL: LA INGENIERíA DE LAS DECISIONES." XIII Congreso Latinoamericano IIE. ESPOL. Guayaquil, Ecuador. 18 Mar. 2016. Keynote Speech.
Proano, Ruben A. and Akshit Agarwal. "Optimización del calendario de rotación de médicos residentes." Seminario Ingenieria Industrial. Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Quito, Ecuador. 21 Mar. 2016. Guest Lecture.
Proano, Ruben A. "Scheduling of Doctors in Training: An Operations Research Implementation to Ensure Fairness and Facilitate Continuity of Care." Graduate Seminar. Malmo University. Malmo, Sweden. 9 Sep. 2016. Guest Lecture.
Proano, Ruben A. and Akshit Agarwal. "Obtaining the Fairest Resident Rotational Schedule: A Multi-Objective Approach." POMS 27th Annual Conference. Production and Operations Management Society. Orlando, FL. 6 May 2016. Conference Presentation.
Proano, Ruben A. and Akshit Agarwal. "Ensuring Fairness and Continuity-of-care in Resident Training Rotational Programs." IISE 2016 Annual Conference. Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Anaheim, CA. 23 May 2016. Conference Presentation.
Proano, Ruben A., et al. "Bundle Payment Implementation via Market Segmentation." INFORMS Annual Meeting. Institute of Operations Research and Management Science. Nashville, TN. 16 Nov. 2016. Conference Presentation.
Proano, Ruben A. "Mitigating the Impact of Applying Isolation Requirements in Hospital Bed Assignments." Healthcare Seminar Series. Center for Healthcare Engineering and Patient Safety, University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, MI. 8 Sep. 2014. Guest Lecture.
Proano, Ruben A. "Mining EHRs to Detect Early Markers of Dementia." GRECC Workshop. Veterans Affairs System, University of Rochester. Rochester, NY. 6 Jan. 2014. Conference Presentation.
Proano, Ruben A. "Vaccine Prioritization : A Multi-attribute Group Decision Making Problem with Heterogeneous Information." Industrial and Systems Engineering Annual Conference and Expo. IIE. Montreal, Canada. 30 May 2014. Conference Presentation.
Proano, Ruben A. "Opportunities for OR/MS in Healthcare Payment Reform." INFORMS Annual Meeting. Institute of Operations Research. San Francisco, CA. 9 Nov. 2014. Conference Presentation.
Proano, Ruben A. "Making Vaccines More Affordable and Profitable." IE Graduate Seminar. University of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh, PA. 5 Dec. 2013. Guest Lecture.
Proano, Ruben A. and Michael Kuhl. "Reducing a Wasteful Shuffle of Paitents: An Optimization Based Approach to Hospital Bed Assignments." LMI Speaker Series. Logistics Management Institute. Washington, DC. 4 Oct. 2013. Keynote Speech.
Proano, Ruben A. "Generating Better Inpatient Dialysis Schedules." INFORMS Annual Meeting. INFORMS. Minneapolis, Minnesotta. 6 Oct. 2013. Conference Presentation.
Proano, Ruben A. "Vaccine Prioritization: A Multi-attribute Group Decision Making Problem with Heterogenous Information." INFORMS Healthcare. INFORMS. Chicago, ILLINOIS. 23 Jun. 2013. Conference Presentation.
Proano, R.A. "Uso De Optimizacion Para Facilitar La Hospitalizacion De Pacientes Bajo Restricciones De Aislamiento." Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Quito, Ecuador. 17 Aug. 2012. Guest Lecture.
Proano, R. A. "Vaccines: Challenges and Opportunities for Operations Research." Research Symposium on Health and Medical Systems. University at Buffalo. Buffalo, NY. 15 Mar. 2012. Lecture.
Proano, R. A. "Using Mathematical Modeling to Make Combination Vaccines More Affordable and Profitable." Phacilitate Vaccine Forum 2012. Phacilitate. Washington, D.C. 15 Jan. 2012. Lecture.
Proano, Ruben A. "Modeling Approaches in Prioritizing Vaccine Development Projects." Approaches to Prioritizing New Preventive Vaccines. Institute of Medicine. The National Academies, Washington, DC. 3 May 2011. Address.
Proano, Ruben A. "An OR Based Price Discrimination Approach to Improve Vaccine Access." Department of Industrial Engineering Seminar Series. University of Buffalo. Bell Hall, Buffalo, NY. 21 Jan. 2011. Guest Lecture.
Proano, Ruben A. "Determining the Optimal Vaccine Subsidy: An OR Approach." INFORMS Healthcare. Institue of Operations Research and Management Science, McGill University. Hilton Montreal Bonaventure, Montreal, Canada. 21 Jun. 2011. Conference Presentation.
Proano, Ruben A. "Determining the Best Vaccine Vial Size: A Stochastic Approach." INFORMS Annual Meeting. Institue of Operations Research and Management Science. Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, NC. 15 Nov. 2011. Conference Presentation.
Journal Paper
Konrad, Renata, et al. "Key Considerations when Using Health Insurance Claims Data in Advanced Data Analyses: An Experience Report." Health Systems. (2019): 1-9. Web.
Portales-Castillo, Ignacio, et al. "Where Do the Salt and Water Go? A Case of Profound Hyponatremia." American Journal of Kidney Diseases 72. 6 (2018): 885-889. Print.
Batista-Abikarram, Jose, Katie McConky, and Ruben A. Proano. "nergy cost minimization for unrelated parallel machine scheduling under real time and demand charge pricing." Journal of Cleaner Production 208. (2018): 232-242. Web.
Proano, Ruben A. and Akshit Agarwal. "Scheduling Internal Medicine Resident Rotations To Ensure Fairness and Facilitate Continuity of Care." Healthcare Management Science. (2017): 1-14. Web.
Zhang, Wenchang, et al. "Accelerating the Adoption of Bundled Payment Reimbursement Systems: A Data-Driven Approach Utilizing Claims Data." IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering. (2017): 1-13. Web.
Proano, Ruben A. "Case Article–Dealing with the Bug in the Classrooms: Planning for a Pandemic." INFORMS Transactions on Education. (2016): 93 - 96. Web.
Dhamodharan, A and Ruben A Proano. "Determining the Optimal Vaccine Vial Size in Developing Countries: A Monte Carlo Simulation Approach." Healthcare Management Science 15. (2012): 188-196. Print.
Proano, Ruben A., Sheldon H. Jacobson, and Wembo Zhang. "Making Combination Vaccines More Accessible to Low-income Countries: The Antigen Bundle Pricing Problem." Omega 40. 1 (2012): 53-64. Print.
Proano, Ruben A., Sheldon H. Jacobson, and Janet A. Jokela. "Response to Modeling the National Pediatric Vaccine Stockpile: Supply Shortages, Health Impacts and Cost Consequences." Vaccine 29. 4 (2011): 615-615. Print.
Published Article
Proano, Ruben A., Sheldon H. Jacobson, and Janet A. Jokela. “A multi-attribute approach for setting pediatric vaccine stockpiles.” Journal ofIndustrial and Management Optimization, 6.4 (2010): 709-727. Print. É  «
Formal Presentation
Proano, Ruben A. “Spreading the Cure: Making Combination Vaccines More Accessible to Low-Income Countries”. United Nations. United Nations Headquarters, NY. 29 October 2010.Presentation. " 
Proano, Ruben A., Wenbo Zhang, and Sheldon H. Jacobson. “Making Combination vaccines more affordable: Determining the optimal subsidy.” INFORMS. Austin, TX. 7-10 Nov. 2010. Presentation. " 
Dhamodharan, Aswin, and Ruben A. Proano. “Determiningthe Optimal Vaccine Vial Size.” INFORMS. Austin, TX. 7-10 Nov. 2010. Presentation. " 
Proano, Ruben A., Sheldon H. Jacobson, and Wenbo Zhang. “Making combination vaccines moreaccessible to low-income countries.”ALIO-INFORMS. Buenos Aires, Argentina. 9 June 2010. Presentation. " 
Proano, Ruben A. “Optimal Scheduling of Dialysis Procedures.” INFORMS. Austin, TX. 7-10 Nov. 2010. Presentation.

Currently Teaching

ISEE-301
Operations Research
4 Credits
An introduction to optimization through mathematical programming and stochastic modeling techniques. Course topics include linear programming, transportation and assignment algorithms, Markov Chain queuing and their application on problems in manufacturing, health care, financial systems, supply chain, and other engineering disciplines. Special attention is placed on sensitivity analysis and the need of optimization in decision-making. The course is delivered through lectures and a weekly laboratory where students learn to use state-of-the-art software packages for modeling large discrete optimization problems.
ISEE-420
Production Planning/Scheduling
3 Credits
A first course in mathematical modeling of production-inventory systems. Topics included: Inventory: Deterministic Models, Inventory: Stochastic Models, Push v. Pull Production Control Systems, Factory Physics, and Operations Scheduling. Modern aspects such as lean manufacturing are included in the context of the course.
ISEE-510
Systems Simulation
3 Credits
Computer-based simulation of dynamic and stochastic systems. Simulation modeling and analysis methods are the focus of this course. A high-level simulation language such as Simio, ARENA, etc., will be used to model systems and examine system performance. Model validation, design of simulation experiments, and random number generation will be introduced.
ISEE-601
Systems Modeling and Optimization
3 Credits
An introductory course in operations research focusing on modeling and optimization techniques used in solving problems encountered in industrial and service systems. Topics include deterministic and stochastic modeling methodologies (e.g., linear and integer programming, Markov chains, and queuing models) in addition to decision analysis and optimization tools. These techniques will be applied to application areas such as production systems, supply chains, logistics, scheduling, healthcare, and service systems.
ISEE-610
Systems Simulation
3 Credits
Computer-based simulation of dynamic and stochastic systems. Simulation modeling and analysis methods are the focus of this course. A high-level simulation language such as Simio, ARENA, etc., will be used to model systems and examine system performance. Model validation, design of simulation experiments, and random number generation will be introduced.
ISEE-701
Linear Programming
3 Credits
Computational techniques for solving constrained optimization problems. Linear programming, the Simplex method and variations, duality and sensitivity testing.
ISEE-704
Logistics Management
3 Credits
This course discusses several strategic, tactical, and operational concepts used in improving the distribution of goods and services by companies worldwide. The course emphasis is on understanding when and how these concepts are applied, as well as on using mathematical programming and optimization methods for their adequate implementation.
ISEE-720
Production Control
3 Credits
This course will cover the role, the steps and the analysis methods to produce goods and services in support of the production and operations management functions. Topics include: forecasting, inventory policies and models, production systems and philosophies (e.g. JIT/Lean), job shop scheduling, aggregate production planning, and Material Requirement Planning (MRP). Students will understand the importance of production control and its relationship to other functions within the organization. Case studies and the design of actual production systems will be emphasized.
ISEE-795
Graduate Seminar
0 Credits
This class introduces students to state of the art research and research methods in industrial, systems, and sustainable engineering. Presentations include off campus speakers and students/faculty presentations on current research under way in the department.

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