As part of its mission to provide "Real-Time Data-Driven Decision Making," Optimal routinely hosts members of the academic, research, business, and governing communities to participate in its Brown Bag Series. Held on Wednesday afternoons from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, the Brown Bag Series offers Optimal staff and invited guests the opportunity to explore best practices research and operating procedures from the leaders of various professional fields.

2016 Presenters:

July

July 19, 2016
Optimal staff learn how to tackle technical debt
Carolyn Seaman, Ph.D.

July 1, 2016
Healthcare from a Physician's Perspective
Manoj Mathew, M.D.

May

May 19, 2016
The ABC's of Research
Ben Shneiderman, Ph.D.

May 13, 2016
Costly Cost Savings: An Overview of The Flint Water Crisis
Sheldon Masters, Ph.D.

2015 Presenters:

June

June 18, 2015
Access to public parks as a place-based health prevention strategy
Coline Dony, M.A.

April

April 30, 2015
Nutrition expert visits Optimal to educate staff on healthy living
Jo Zimmerman, Ph.D.
 

2012 Presenters:

June

18- Neil Bania, Ph.D. : "Monthly Household Income Fluctuations, Material Deprivation and Health Outcomes in the U.S."
 

2011 Presenters:

December

9- Muhiuddin Haider, Ph.D.: "Neonatal Health Issues in South Asia"

November

15- Jeffery W. Herman, Ph.D.: "Model-Based Systems Engineering for Healthcare Organizations"

June

1- William Rand, Ph.D.: "A Discussion on the Diffusion of Information in Social Networks"

May

13- Chris Yang, Ph.D.: "Clarity in the Clutter: Automated Temporal Topic Organization in Social Media"

March

30- Michael Kaiser, Ph.D.: "Does Prevalence Matter?"

25- Berna Demiralp, Ph.D.: "Entrepreneurial Choice, Liquidity Constraints and Human Capital"

February

23- Marion Pines: "Strategies for Implementing Large-Scale Initiatives"

8- Nitin Dua: "FSU Doctoral Candidate Discusses Alternative to Traditional Hospitals"

4- Calvin Johnson, Ph.D.: "The Use of Business Intelligence in Criminal Justice"
 

2010 Presenters:

October

21 - Jack Meyer, Ph.D.: "Implementing Health Reform: Key Opportunities, Major Challenges"
5 - Lindsey Cramer and Erin Twamley: "Intelligent Helpdesk Management"

September

29 - Samuel J. Parker, Jr.: "Public Engagement as a Change Agent"

August

18 - Ernst Nilsson, Ph.D.: "Benefits Realization from Large Investments in IT"
11 - Calvin Johnson, Ph.D.: "Partnering to Enhance Offender Accountability"

July

21 - David Engel, Ph.D.: Writing Seminar

June

30 - Ebony Walton: "Using Retired NAEP Variables to Improve ELL Identification"

May

19 - Nancy Miller, Ph.D.: "Medicaid Home and Community-Based Care"

April

21 - Ruth Sherman and Maggie Pagel: "Predictive Modeling: Fraud Detection in Medicare"

14 - Loren Yager: "Public Policy Research and the U.S. Congress: Insights from the GAO"

March

31 - Danielle Ward and Jumy Adekeye: APHA Presentation on Measuring Quality using EHRs

February

3 - Luis Pinet, Ph.D.(c): "Primary Injury Prevention and Mortality from Motor Vehicle Crashes Among Children and Adolescents in the United States"