Congratulations Amanda!!

We are proud to announce that Amanda Melvin, Public Health Analyst intern has received the Outstanding Capstone Award for her role in building the Return-to-School Risk Index. This Index leverages our Transmission Risk Index along with an advanced AI-model to determine how to safely reopen schools for classroom education.

In reviewing the innovative Flight Safety Index, that assesses the risk of disease transmission on a per flight and per aircraft basis, Amanda noticed that the same concept could apply to schools in a way that will help school systems and administrators understand and mitigate the risk of disease transmission on a per-school and per-classroom basis. This information can allow school children, educators, parents and communities to safely resume live, in-person education.

Amanda immediately began to put together a team to build the Return-to-School Risk Index and also included the effort in her Capstone project – the final requirement for her master’s degree from the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

Amanda cites the small team and collaborative working environment at HSR.health as instrumental in this effort. “I’ve never worked on building a model before,” said Amanda, “but was able to do this because of the opportunity to work closely with and learn from so many talented co-workers.” HSR.health employs an expert team of data scientists, geospatial engineers, global health risk analysts, as well as public health analysts, such as Amanda.

“Since her initial interview last fall, it was clear Amanda has both the insights and skill to excel in public health. She is a great addition to our team, and we are happy for her well-deserved recognition,” said Ajay K Gupta, HSR.health CEO.

In addition to the Flight Safety Index and the Return-to-School model, Amanda has also supported the development of a matrix for the floorplan of the NBC sitcom “The Office” for HSR.health’s forthcoming Return-to-Work risk index.

Outstanding Capstone Award

The Outstanding Capstone Award is offered by the Department of Health Policy and Management in the School of Public Health and carries a $250 cash prize. The award will be officially conferred at a ceremony on May 5, 2021. Amanda graduates with her Masters of Health Administration (MHA) at commencement ceremonies on May 21st where the award will also be announced.

Future Goals

While Amanda hopes to stay on at HSR.health after graduation, her long-term goal is to open a “pay-as-you-can” healthcare center to improve access to high quality healthcare. This award comes fresh on the heels of the announcement of their Chief Medical Officer, Ram Peruvemba, MD, FASA, being names a Top 100 Healthcare Innovator by the International Forum on the Advancements in Healthcare.