Mentor Areas
Public Health
Network Science
Human Psychology
Applied Mathematics
Description:
In this project, students will help to understand how senior leaders make decisions in the face of an unprecedented health care emergency. While an enormous amount of work goes into preparing for disaster, what happens when the disaster is so much worse than predicted that none of the plans apply anymore? How do leaders make critical decisions in a crisis of exceptional size and scope? How do they collaborate across sectors, and innovate beyond traditional processes and methods in this kind of a crisis?
This work would be part of an ongoing project meant to study these issues and develop a proactive, systematized process to train leaders to most effectively make these kinds of decisions. In December, forty high-level leaders from across state and federal governments and hospital administration met to discuss a simulated disaster scenario. This project would involve qualitatively coding the transcripts from these meetings. Specifically, students would have the opportunity to contribute to one of several lines of research, including but not limited to:
- Decision-making process
- The role of expertise in decision-making
- The role of moderators in facilitating decision-making
- The utility of a fantastical scenario for improving creativity
Other student ideas are welcomed.
Penn undergraduates will participate in all aspects of the research, with a focus on:
- Codebook development
- Qualitative coding
- Process evaluation
As part of this research, students will learn the basics of design theory, human-systems engineering, and cognitive science, and will get an introduction to emergency response and disaster planning. They will have the opportunity to practice leading design sprints. They will also gain experience with qualitative coding by helping to develop a codebook and using software to qualitatively code transcripts of policy discussions. This project is ideal for students who prefer interdisciplinary work combining science with policy.
Students will be mentored primarily by Kat Hefter, a bioengineering PhD student and lawyer.
Preferred Qualifications
Curiosity and a passion to discover.
Details:
Preferred Student Year
First-year, Second-Year, Junior, Senior
Academic Term
Summer
I prefer to have students start during the above term(s).Volunteer
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to volunteers.Paid
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to paying students they engage in their research, regardless of their work-study eligibility.Work Study
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to hiring work-study-eligible students.