Biography

Dr. Melike Yildirim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Wayne State University. Prior to joining Wayne State, she served as a prevention effectiveness fellow at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) (2021-2023), with research focused on medical decision-making related to the prevention, early detection and treatment of chronic and infectious diseases. In 2021, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Yildirim has extensive experience in developing data-driven models and evaluating healthcare interventions' effectiveness. 

• Assistant Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Wayne State University, 2024 -
• Prevention Effectiveness Fellow, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 12/2021 - 12/2023
• Statistician and PE Fellow, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), 2/2022 - 12/2023
• Postdoctoral Researcher, Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University, 1/2021 - 12/2021

Publications:

[10] AL. Claypool, C. DiGennaro, WA. Russell, M. Yildirim, AF. Zhang, Z. Reid, EJ. Stringfellow, B. Bearnot, BR. Schackman, K. Humphreys, MS. Jalali (2023) Cost-effectiveness of Increasing Buprenorphine Treatment Initiation, Duration, and Capacity Among Individuals Who Use Opioids. JAMA Health Forum.

[9] M. Yildirim, K. Webb, A. Ciaranello, A. Mushavi, A. K. Amick, A. Chimwaza, NC. McCann, T. Murapi, A. Claypool, C. Flanagan, MS. Jalali (2023) Increasing the Initiation of Antiretroviral Treatment through Optimal Allocation of Diagnostic Technologies for Pediatric HIV: Modeling Analysis in Zimbabwe. International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

[8] M. Yildirim, B. Gaynes, P. Keskinocak, B. Pence, J. Swann, (2022) Cost-effectiveness of Depression Screening for US Adult Population. Journal of Affective Disorders.

[7] M. Yildirim, B. Gaynes, P. Keskinocak, B. Pence, J. Swann, (2021) DIP: Natural History Model for Major Depression with Incidence and Prevalence. Journal of Affective Disorders.

[6] M. Yildirim, N. Serban, J. Shih, P. Keskinocak, (2020) Reflecting on Respiratory Infectious Disease Epidemic Preparedness and Response Strategies. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

[5] M. Yildirim, P. Griffin, P. Keskinocak, J. O’Connor, J. Swann (2020), Estimating the Impact of Self-Management Education, Influenza Vaccines, Nebulizers and Spacers on Health Utilization and Expenditures for Medicaid-Enrolled Children with Asthma. Journal of Asthma.

[4] M. Yildirim, P. Keskinocak, S. Pelton, L. Pickering, I. Yildirim, (2020) Who is at risk of 13-valent conjugated pneumococcal vaccine failure? Vaccine.

[3] J. Swann, P. Griffin, P. Keskinocak, I. Bender, M. Yildirim, T. Nurmagambetov, J. Hsu, L. Seeff, C.-M. Singleton, (2019). Return on investment of self-management education and home visits for children with asthma. Journal of Asthma.

Policy Briefs and Conference Papers:

[2] R. Limcangco, F. Rohde, M. Yildirim, (2023) State Variation in Birth Rates and Payments among Commercially Insured Women Age 18-44, SyH-DR. AHRQ Statistical Brief.

[1] M. Yildirim, P. Keskinocak, S. Pelton, I. Yildirim, (2018) Predicting Risk of Breakthrough Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in Children After 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccination. Open Forum Infect Diseases.

Education

• Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021
• M.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021
• M.Eng. in Healthcare System Engineering, Lehigh University, 2015

Research Interests

• Research Summary: Leveraging Large-Scale Community-Based Data to Promote Equitable and Inclusive Access to Healthcare through Optimal Intervention and Policy Decisions
• Communities Impacted to Date: Underserved Communities in Subsaharan Africa, and United States (Georgia, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts, and overall US)
• Addressed Health Issues to Date: Pediatric Asthma, Mother-to-child transmitted HIV, Invasive Pneumococcal Disease, Opioid Use Disorders, Pregnancy and Postpartum Care, Mental Health
• Methods: Stochastic Processes (Discrete-time Markov chain, Continuous-time Markov processes), Simulation (Discrete event, Microsimulation, Agent-based, System dynamics, Differential equations), Optimization for Resource Allocation (Dynamic programming, Stochastic optimization), Predictive Analytics (Machine learning, Deep learning)

Professional Affiliations

• Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)
• Women in OR/MS
• Institute of Industrial Engineers

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