Research
I study how operating organizations, mostly in health care, absorb change that comes from outside them: a shifting workforce, a new policy or payment rule, a new technology placed into a service line. The work combines panel econometrics where the question is about consequence with simulation and optimization where the question is about design.
Healthcare operations & workforce
Buyer–supplier relationships & innovation
Public policy & sustainability in operations
AI placement in service processes
Causal inference methods
Dissertation
How Health Care Delivery Organizations Absorb External Change: Workforce, Policy, and Technology
Three kinds of external change, one published base study and three essays. The same two conditions govern each case: whether the organization is operating under high demand, and how far the affected groups differ in their capacity to adapt. Read together, the essays rank three responses from weakest to strongest: a single institution's own operating decisions, system-level policy support, and placing technology where it actually binds.
Papers [1]–[4] below · Defense scheduled May 2027 · Rutgers Business School
Journal Publications
[1]
Enhancing Efficiency and Workflow in Oncology Outpatient Services Through Simulation-Based Optimization PublishedDissertation
Zhou, C., Ding, X., Chen, W., Lei, L., Norrell, J., Tray, A., & Evens, A.M. (2026)
An on-site laboratory combined with optimized scheduling reduces average visit length by 75–90 minutes (roughly 30 percent) at an NCI-designated cancer center; joint implementation dominates any single change.
Manuscripts Under Review and In Revision
Eleven manuscripts. Titles in this section are lightly paraphrased and marked Hidden name so that the blind review of each paper is not compromised; venues and review stages are exact.
[2]
Fissured Workforces and Service Quality in Dialysis Care Hidden nameUnder review (3rd round)Dissertation · Job market paper
Zhou, C., Lin, T., Ding, X., & Chen, W.
Under review (3rd round), Journal of Operations Management, Special Issue on the Fissured Workforce Economy
[3]
Clinician Empowerment and the Triple Aim: Resources, Disparities, and Quality Hidden nameUnder review (3rd round)Dissertation
Zhou, C., Dreyfus, D., & Bagchi, A.
Under review (3rd round), Journal of Operations Management
[4]
Where AI Sits in a Sequential Care Line, and What It Yields Hidden nameUnder reviewDissertation
Zhou, C., & Li, W.
Under review, Journal of Operations Management
[5]
Chain Affiliation, Dynamic Capabilities, and Care Quality in Disadvantaged Communities Hidden nameUnder review
Dreyfus, D., Zhou, C., & Lin, T.
Under review, Health Care Management Science, Special Issue on Underserved Populations
[6]
Quality Instability and Consumer Choice in Long-Term Care Hidden nameUnder review
Zhou, C., & Li, W.
Under review, Decision Sciences
[7]
Partial Fixes: Sustainable Waste Routing and Toxic Releases Hidden nameUnder revision
Zhou, C., Li, W., & Alshalfan, A.
Under revision, Production and Operations Management
Invited
[8]
Owner-Operator Reliance, Mandated Reclassification, and Motor Carrier Safety Hidden nameIn process (2nd stage)
Zhou, C., & Li, W.
In process (second stage; full manuscript invited), Journal of Business Logistics, Special Topic Forum on AI-Integrated Research
Recently Submitted
[9]
Trade-Policy Turbulence, Customer Turnover, and Firm Innovation Hidden nameRecently submitted
Zhou, C.
Recently submitted, Production and Operations Management
[10]
Dynamic Incentives in Healthcare Value-Based Purchasing Hidden nameRecently submitted
Zhou, C., & Li, W.
Recently submitted, Management Science
[11]
Curvilinear Local Projections of Supplier Replacement on Lasting Innovation Hidden nameRecently submitted
Zhou, C.
Recently submitted, Journal of Operations Management
[12]
Causal Inference for Operating Decisions Under U- and Inverted U-Shaped Relationships Hidden nameRecently submitted
Zhou, C.
Recently submitted, Journal of Operations Management
Working Papers
[13]
Deep Reinforcement Learning for Forward-Looking Chemotherapy Appointment Scheduling
Zhou, C.
Manuscript complete
[14]
Extension Services, Market Remoteness, and Agricultural Productivity: Evidence from Ethiopian Smallholder Farms
Zhou, C., Li, W., & Rogers, D.
Manuscript complete
Conference Proceedings
[15]
House Price Prediction Using Polynomial Regression with Particle Swarm Optimization
Zhou, C. (2021)
[16]
Quantitative Investment Strategy Analysis Based on Machine Learning for Share Dealing
Zhou, C. (2020)
Students: three of these projects are open to participation, with prerequisites and time commitment stated up front.
Open projects →