Dr. Soroush Saghafian is interested in using and developing operations research and management science techniques that can have significant public benefits. He is the founder and director of the Public Impact Analytics Science Lab (PIAS-Lab) at Harvard, which is devoted to advancing and applying the science of analytics for solving societal problems that can have public impact. His current teaching focuses on Machine Learning and Big Data Analytics tools for solving societal problems. His current research focuses on the application and development of operations research methods in studying stochastic systems with specific applications in healthcare and operations management. He has been collaborating with a variety of hospitals to improve their operational efficiency, patient flow, medical decision-making, and more broadly, healthcare delivery policies. He also serves as a core faculty memebr for the Harvard Center for Health Decision Science, a faculty affiliate for the Harvard Ph.D. Program in Health Policy, the Harvard Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government (M-RCBG), the Harvard Data Science Initiative, the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and is an associate faculty member at the Harvard Ariadne Labs (Health Systems Innovation).
Dr. Saghafian's research has appeared in the news, including in pieces and interviews by The Hill, National Academy of Medicine, New-Meical.net, Industry Global News 24, Global Health News Wire, Eureka Alert (American Association for the Advancement of Science), Managed Healthcare Executive, Medscape, Medcial Xpress, DOTmed, ABC Channel (TV), and INFORMS.
He has won various awards for his research, including the INFORMS MSOM 2023 Responsible Research Award (second place) “[for] contributing knowledge that may have implications for making the world a better place by informing evidence-based, high-quality, and societally beneficial organizational practices across the business, government, and non-government organizations,” INFORMS MSOM Young Scholar Prize (2021) “[for] outstanding contributions to scholarship in operations management," Inaugural INFORMS 2020 Mehrotra Research Excellence Award "for significant contributions to the practice of health applications through operations research (OR) and management science (MS) modeling and methodologies," INFORMS 2018 Public Sector Best Paper Award (second place), and 2010 INFORMS Pierskalla Award "for the best research paper in healthcare."
Dr. Saghafian serves on the editorial board of a few journals including Management Science, Operations Research, Production and Operations Management, Service Science, and IISE Transactions. His research has been supported through various grants from National Science Foundation (NSF), Mayo Clinic, and Harvard University (HKS), among others.
Courses
Academic Journal/Scholarly Articles
Book Chapters
HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series
Research Papers/Reports
Commentary
Transparent Engagement
Harvard Kennedy School is proud of its energetic involvement in the world. To better understand how to solve public problems by improving policy and leadership, we engage directly with policymakers, public leaders, governments, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses whose activities affect those problems. However, we recognize that such engagement can raise questions about perceived and potential conflicts of interest, so we disclose publicly the key professional activities of our faculty outside the Kennedy School. The activities disclosed below are for the most recent reporting period, as defined by University policy. Some may be paid, some may be unpaid, and others may be in exchange for expense reimbursement only.
Outside Professional Activities For Soroush Saghafian
| Organization | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Global Wonks | Membership on a scientific or other advisory board |
| Harvard School of Public Health | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) | Prizes or awards |
| International Academic Program | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |