Development of rostering algorithms considering service levelling, a multi-method approach applied to Emergency Department in health services

Description

The long-term objective of this research program is to propose new methods to optimise the clinical staff rosters in ED, balancing and levelling the service quality and shift equity, improving the staff wellbeing in order to reduce the variability and the impact on patient care. To achieve this, it is important to link research with the complex needs of both patients, hospital staff and hospital management.

It is with an increased use of methodologies developed by scientific research, especially in economics and operations research modelling, that the hospital management can improve its efficiency and increase quality in health services, reducing the costs and improving the impact of care on patients and health outcomes.

In the short term, the projects included in this research program will focus on the rostering of clinical staff considering service levelling, and will aim to: 1) define a set of indicators forservice levelling and healthcare staff skill mix to include in the service levelling algorithm 2) prepare a systematic literature review on rostering algorithms in health care to examines models and findings in the literature, to inform the state of art and to identify research gaps 3) develop an efficient algorithm for dealing with the joint rostering and levelling problem for EDs 4) propose a comparative study on modelling and solution methods for rostering problem, considering its deterministic and stochastic characteristics 5) estimate the impact of service levelling in ED rostering algorithms and the impact on hospital organisation, considering both patient, ED staff, and hospital management perspectives using hospital data 6) develop and validate a predictive model aimed at analysing the service demand of ED, finding the paths of the patients waiting to be served by an ED, informing on the resource use and the possible clinical need, in order to minimise the service disruption and ensuring that the techniques developed are usable in the health care industry

Research Field

- Operational research
- Applied mathematics
- Applied statistics
- Optimization and Simulation
- Heuristics and Metaheuristics
- Machine learning
- Data Science
- Mathematical programming

Research Supervisor

Paolo Landa

Research Environment

Department of Operations and Decision Systems; CIRRELT; CHU de Québec Research Center, Research Centre of Health Services management

Web Site

Financial Aid Available by Program of Study

Doctorate in Administrative Science - Operations and Decision-Making Systems

Program description

Financial Aid Available*

Financial Aid Related to Research Project

$21000 per year for 4 years.

The funding of at least 21 000 CAD/year for 4 years includes admission and success support scholarships from the Faculty, as well as supervisor scholarships. Additional funding is available from the Faculty (progression scholarships, funding for conference participation, scholarships for publications, etc.). This amount may be increased by scholarships obtained from external organizations (e.g. FRQ, NSERC, CIRRELT) to which the student must apply.

Program-Specific Financial Aid

Graduate Studies Awards

Admissions scholarships	Amount
Student Awards and Financial Aid Office (BBAF)	$2,000
Doctoral support fund (FSA ULaval) in collaboration with the FESP	$13,000 (3 instalments)
Total admissions scholarships available	$15,000
Program milestones (progression scholarships)	Amount
1. Doctoral exam	$5,000
2. Thesis project	$6,000
3. First submission of thesis	$4,000
Total progression scholarships	$15,000
Other potential funding from FSA ULaval	Amount
Doctoral scholarship application	$2,000
Expense allowance for presentations at scientific conventions	$5,000
Publication of a scientific article related to the research topic over the course of the program	$4,500 (3 x $1,500)
2 possible teaching assistantships	$17,000 (2 x $8,500)
Potential contribution from FSA ULaval	$10,000
Total other funding	$38,500

Université Laval: Student Financial Aid

Funding source	Amount
Leadership and Comittment Scholarship (Canadians & permanent residents)	$30,000
Citizens of the World Scholarship (International students)	$30,000
Mobility Grant for Out-of-Province Internships or Research Visits (in French)	$1,500 to $3,000
Graduate Scholarships from Granting Agencies	$25,000 to $40,000$
Online Directory of Graduate Scholarships (in French)	$500 to $50,000

Supplemental Tuition Fee Exemption Scholarship Program: Entitles international students to pay Canadian student tuition fees, for overall savings of around $40,000.

_{* Amounts shown represent maximum financial aid available. Certain conditions apply. Subject to change without prior notice. For further information, contact sponsoring organizations directly.}

Desired Profile

- Supply chain, operations and logistics

Requirements and Conditions

Background in Operational Research and Mathematics, Statistics, Machine Learning, Data Science, or similar.
- Programming experience (C++, R, Python, Matlab or similar)
- Advanced level of English
- Intermediate or advanced level of French (or willingness to reach an intermediate level before the beginning of the PhD program)
- High motivation and commitment
- Rigor and perseverance in a demanding academic environment

Required Documentation

- Lettre de recommandation
- Cover letter
- Curriculum vitæ
- Student transcript

Application Deadline

July 15, 2025

Find Out More

Paolo Landa
Professeur
Département d'opérations et systèmes de décision
paolo.landa@fsa.ulaval.ca