News Room

Some doctors worry the combination of coronavirus and the flu could tax our healthcare system. This afternoon, a deep dive into emerging research which suggests mask wearing can help to reduce the spread of both.

In 2017, Americans paid around $34 billion in overdraft fees. The hefty fees often hit consumers unexpectedly and can lead to dissatisfaction or even attrition. “Analyzing Bank Overdraft Fees with Big Data,” explores consumer behavior that causes the fees, just how the fees impact customers and banks, and how banks can better address the issue for the benefit of all. The paper was written by New York University Professor Xiao Liu, and Alan Montgomery and Kannan Srinivasan, both professors at Carnegie Mellon University. It was published in the December 2018 issue of Marketing Science, journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS).

Dr. Adarsh Bhimraj was feeling “helpless” in April about his ability to treat the dozens of Covid-19 patients admitted everyday to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. In those early weeks of the outbreak, Bhimraj and his colleagues struggled to understand why some patients died and others recovered. It happened quickly, he said, adding that the disease could turn in a moment, sending a patient unexpectedly to the intensive care unit, where some died in days. 

On the day that a COVID-19 vaccine is approved, a vast logistics operation will need to awaken. Millions of doses must travel hundreds of miles from manufacturers to hospitals, doctor’s offices, and pharmacies, which in turn must store, track, and eventually get the vaccines to people all across the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with state and local health departments, coordinates this process. These agencies distributed flu vaccines during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic this way, and they manage childhood vaccines every day. But the COVID-19 vaccine will be a whole new challenge.