{"678773":{"#nid":"678773","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Classroom Project turned Global Impact","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn 2020, a group of ISyE Master\u2019s students enrolled in the course ISyE 6320\/HS 6400 Health Systems Practice,\u0026nbsp;worked on a class project where they used modeling and analytics to support global polio eradication efforts.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of these students, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/yuming-sun\u0022\u003EYuming Sun\u003C\/a\u003E, later joined the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EH. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E (ISyE) Ph.D. program, under the guidance of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/pinar-keskinocak\u0022\u003EProfessors Pinar Keskinocak\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/lauren-steimle\u0022\u003E Lauren Steimle\u003C\/a\u003E. Sun embarked on a journey that would seamlessly blend academia and public health, leading to important contributions in the fight against polio.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYuming\u2019s dedication and innovative approach, which has also been supported by key collaborators from the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cdc.gov\/\u0022\u003ECenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)\u003C\/a\u003E, earned him many recognitions for his research, including \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.aaas.org\/resources\/2024-aaas-annual-meeting-posters\u0022\u003EHonorable Mention as a Graduate presenter in the Medicine and Public Health category\u003C\/a\u003E at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.aaas.org\/\u0022\u003E2024 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe AAAS supports the advancement of science, engineering, and innovation across the globe \u2013 while recognizing and fostering diverse research solutions for all.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYuming\u2019s research on \u201cModeling the Circulating Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Outbreaks and Interventions\u201d explores the complex dynamics of polio outbreaks and the effectiveness of various vaccination strategies, particularly in under-vaccinated communities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETackling Polio\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat began as a class project blossomed into a fully funded development, driven by the promising results of the team\u2019s initial work. Later on, advanced by Sun, was an established detailed model of poliovirus transmission, sought to balance scientific rigor with practical applicability.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team looked at the widespread use of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) in outbreak response, which while effective, has unintended consequences in under-vaccinated communities. The live attenuated virus in OPV could revert to a form that acts and spreads like wild poliovirus. A new novel type vaccine was created which has less risk of reversion, but the role of this new vaccine in outbreak response, was unclear.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe model has several features capturing the complex dynamics of polio transmission, such as varying risk across subpopulations defined by age and geography, waning immunity - induced by prior infections or vaccinations - and virus reversion.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey grouped regions based on geographic location, historical vaccination coverage, and accessibility, creating a nuanced framework to understand and predict polio outbreaks.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe COVID-19 pandemic further compounded these issues by disrupting routine immunizations and delaying outbreak response campaigns, leaving many individuals unvaccinated and vulnerable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe model also incorporated the decreased population mixing during COVID-19 lockdowns, reflecting the pandemic\u0027s profound impact on public health efforts.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the model is general and can be applied to any country or region, the team used data from northern Nigeria for model calibration, given the outbreaks in the region and under-vaccinated children in hard-to-reach areas.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn an extensive computational study, the team evaluated various \u201cintervention\u201d scenarios, generating interesting results and insights.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy collaborating closely with the CDC and leveraging real-world data, the team aimed to provide actionable insights that could guide strategies to eradicate polio in Nigeria and prevent its resurgence in neighboring countries.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur results emphasized the importance of novel OPV type 2 in reducing the size of outbreaks,\u201d said Sun. The research also highlighted the need for \u201cmore rounds of outbreak supplemental immunization activities during outbreak response in under-vaccinated regions, which exhibit persistent transmission and delay the progress towards stopping outbreaks.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFrom a logistics perspective, \u201ca quicker outbreak response would avert more paralytic cases and require fewer supplemental immunization rounds to stop the outbreaks,\u201d added Sun.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYuming\u2019s journey from a classroom project to a pivotal public health initiative highlights the importance of hands-on learning activities, demonstrating the power of collaboration and the significant impact of advancing research to addressing real-world problems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs the battle against polio continues, Yuming Sun and their team\u0027s work serves as a supportive contribution to the ongoing efforts led by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) of which CDC is a partner.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile their enthusiasm, innovation, and commitment to public health are commendable, they recognize that there is still much work to be done alongside long-standing collaborators in the fight against infectious diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E_______\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECamille Carpenter, ISyE Communications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAn ISyE class project on applying operations research to public health led to rigorous modeling efforts and a multi-year collaboration with the CDC to support the efforts of Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Yuming Sun\u0027s transformative journey from ISyE Master\u2019s student to AAAS Honorable Mention recipient, focused on solutions addressing polio eradication in the Operations Research PhD program."}],"uid":"36284","created_gmt":"2024-12-06 07:53:57","changed_gmt":"2024-12-06 16:36:40","author":"chenriquez8","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2024-11-21T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-11-21T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675785":{"id":"675785","type":"image","title":"Yuming Sun","body":null,"created":"1733472963","gmt_created":"2024-12-06 08:16:03","changed":"1733472963","gmt_changed":"2024-12-06 08:16:03","alt":"Yuming Sun","file":{"fid":"259451","name":"IMG_0914-2 copy.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/06\/IMG_0914-2%20copy.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/06\/IMG_0914-2%20copy.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":700757,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/12\/06\/IMG_0914-2%20copy.jpeg?itok=jDP1zBGk"}}},"media_ids":["675785"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/yuming-sun","title":"Yuming Sun, PhD Student"}],"groups":[{"id":"1250","name":"Center for Health and Humanitarian Systems (CHHS)"},{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}