@article{298d77acb6804f3e803eb3ba8046b3c3,
title = "A planning model for the WHO-EPI vaccine distribution network in developing countries",
abstract = "In many developing countries, inefficiencies in the supply chain for the World Health Organization's Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) vaccines are of grave concern; these inefficiencies result in thousands of people not being fully immunized and creates significant risk of disease epidemics. Thus, there is a great deal of interest in these countries in building tools to analyze and optimize how vaccines flow down several levels of the supply chain from manufacturers to vaccine recipients. This article develops a mathematical model for typical vaccine distribution networks in developing countries. This model has been successfully adapted for supply chains in three different countries (Niger, Thailand, and Vietnam), and its application to several issues of interest to public health administrators in developing countries is discussed.",
keywords = "Supply chains, capacity expansion, distribution networks, inventory, linear programming, logistics, vaccine delivery",
author = "Chen, {Sheng I.} and Norman, {Bryan A.} and Jayant Rajgopal and Assi, {Tina M.} and Lee, {Bruce Y.} and Brown, {Shawn T.}",
note = "Funding Information: Bryan A. Norman is an Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. He received his B.S. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and his Ph.D. in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan. His research considers both theoretical developments and issues concerning the practical application of operations research models to logistics problems. His research interests primarily focus on supply chain and logistics modeling with particular emphasis on scheduling, facility layout, material flow, and healthcare operations. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the Veterans Administration, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and industry. He is a member of IIE and INFORMS. Funding Information: Bruce Y. Lee is Director of Operations Research at the International Vaccine Access Center, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Previously, he was Associate Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Informatics at the University of Pittsburgh and Core Faculty for the RAND-University of Pittsburgh Health Institute. He directs the Public Health and Infectious Diseases Computational, and Operations Research (PHICOR) group that specializes in designing economic, and operational computer models that help decision makers tackle infectious diseases of global importance. His current funding includes grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, NIH, CDC, NSF, National Library of Medicine, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. He has over 140 scientific publications and three books. He received his B.A. from Harvard University, M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and M.B.A. from Stanford. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, having completed his residency training at the University of California, San Diego. Funding Information: This study was supported by the Vaccine Modeling Initiative, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Models of Infectious Agent Study grant 1U54GM088491-0109. The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; and preparation, review, or approval of this article.",
year = "2014",
month = aug,
day = "3",
doi = "10.1080/0740817X.2013.813094",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "46",
pages = "853--865",
journal = "IIE Transactions (Institute of Industrial Engineers)",
issn = "0740-817X",
publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",
number = "8",
}