Georgia Tech's Health Systems Institute welcomes Arielle Lasry, a health economist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on "Optimal Investment in a Portfolio of HIV Prevention Programs."

Abstract:  
We evaluate whether an optimal allocation HIV prevention funds in the US could improve HIV prevention efforts. We define an epidemic model, which determines HIV incidence over a 5-year horizon, given a specific allocation strategy. We then use an optimization model to generate allocation strategies for the epidemic model and identify the strategy that minimizes cumulative HIV incidence over 5 years. The optimal allocation scenario is compared to the current funding scenario to highlight whether the current allocation of funds could be improved. This HIV resource allocation model can provide valuable guidance for the priority-setting process in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Speaker’s Bio:  
Arielle Lasry worked for 10 years in the supply chain management and software industries before turning her focus to public health. She is currently a health economist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her current research interests are focused on applications of mathematical modeling for the control of infectious diseases, particularly HIV. Arielle holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Masters Degree in Decision Sciences from the HEC School of Management in Montreal and a Doctorate in Operations Research from the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto.