Alum ’07 Drew Arenth graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy and is now working with Marco-Eyes, a core machine learning technology that accurately “detects and analyzes the degrees of multidimensional similarity between patients and between events” (source Macro-Eyes). For example, that translates into intelligence that can accurately determine NO SHOW appointment rates for health providers.
Drew, and his fellow team members, Benjamin Fels, and Suvrit Sra have recently received a grant from the Gates Foundation. They will, “use statistical machine learning applied to supply chain and immunization data at health facilities in Tanzania to better predict demand and avoid the delivery of the incorrect quantity or selection of vaccines. The aim is to minimize waste and maximize childhood vaccination coverage. They will work with NGOs and regional medical offices to identify two pilot sites and gather site-specific supply chain data. The data will be used to train and test algorithms that will learn to identify predictive patterns to forecast demand and recommend the optimal delivery of vaccines to each site. Predictions will be sent to pilot health clinics via SMS to determine their accuracy. Health worker insight on populations and demand, conveyed via SMS, will programmatically augment the analysis of supply chain and immunization data.
We are extremely proud and happy for Drew and his team for receiving this auspicious grant. Go Pilot!
To read more about the grant, or about Macro-eyes, click on the highlighted words.