Enabling Real-Time Data-Driven Public Policy Decision Making
University of Maryland Associate Professor Dr. Jeffrey W. Herrmann will share new innovative models to improve operations of healthcare organizations on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 11:45 a.m. This brown bag seminar will be held at Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) headquarters located in M Square Research Park in College Park, Maryland. » Read more
In October 2011, Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) received a three-year contract with USAID for international economic development evaluation work. With Optimal’s strong domestic program evaluation expertise, its approach to real-time monitoring and evaluation, experienced consultants and partners and its diverse and international staff, Optimal is pleased to have been chosen to support USAID efforts.
The need for rigor coupled with timeliness is clear with impact of high youth unemployment, population growth, scarce resources, and many other factors such as social media networks that are impacting our increasingly dynamic world. Optimal’s domestic experience in health, workforce development, education along with its internationally experienced expert partners will prove to be useful in this endeavor. Additionally, Optimal’s absence of business agreements with foreign governments or existing implementations eliminates any potential conflicts of interests.
As a newer USAID vendor, Optimal looks forward to bringing a fresh perspective to this work, providing tools for the missions to continue monitoring and reporting and providing mechanisms for continued learning.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) recently awarded the Education Statistics Support Institute Network (ESSIN) task order contracts and indefinite delivery indefinite quantity umbrella contracts for statistical support. Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) is among the awardees tasked to provide statistical analysis, project management and coordination services to the support program, as well as research initiatives of the Assessment Division.
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Robert H. Smith School of Business’ Kenyon Crowley presented on the University of Maryland’s (UMD’s) health IT research initiatives at Optimal Solutions Group, LLC’s (Optimal’s) Annual Kick-Off meeting. » Read more
Yan Sun is completing her Ph.D. in economics at George Washington University. Her dissertation research is focused on welfare, labor and education. She joined International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in 2002 after she received her Masters in Economics from Georgetown University. She is currently a Research Analyst at IFPRI where she conducts research on public investment in rural services, farmers’ participation in off-farming activities, and gender analysis.
Dr. Neil Bania has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Oregon. His research is focused on food insufficiency and other social policy topic areas including welfare, housing assistance, and transportation as well as state and local taxation policies. He joined the University of Oregon’s Department of Planning, Public Policy, and Management in 2004 as an Associate Professor. Prior to that, he served as Associate Director at the Center on Urban Poverty at Case Western Reserve University. His current research is on rising household monthly income instability and its implications for the well-being of low-income U.S. households.
Students from the University of Maryland (UMD) will be visiting Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) on October 25 as part of the “Be the Solution” Business Plan Competition. The students are participating in a program launched in September which ultimately prepares them for competing for team prizes of up to $2,500 for the best start-up concept. The competition is sponsored by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) and the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship
The visit to Optimal is intended to enhance the students’ perspectives by providing real-world exposure to innovative projects in the social sciences. During their visit, the students will learn about current projects that Optimal is engaged in which are relevant to the topics of their business plan competition .Competition topics include:
In addition, the students will learn from and engage with Optimal staff about the start-up and entrepreneurial/innovation path that Optimal has taken in social sciences.As part of their visit, the students will also walk through Optimal’s new Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center for ideas on how to spur collaboration, new ideas and manage implementation. Optimal is currently the only social sciences firm in UMD’s M Square research park and its President, Mark Turner is a member of the BSOS Board of Visitors. Dr. Turner will server as one of the competition judges and Optimal is proud to be one of the sponsors of the competition.
For more information see:
http://www.bsos.umd.edu/news-and-events/business-plan-competition.aspx
Point of contact for all inquiries :
Tracye Turner
Optimal Solutions Group, LLC
301.306.1170
[email protected]
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) the Secondary Analysis and Results Tracking (SART) five-year contract to assist USAID’s Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and the Environment’s Office of Education (E3/ED). » Read more
Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) and its partner, American Institutes for Research (AIR), have been selected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to design and implement a program evaluation of the Graduate Nurse Education Demonstration, which aims to increase the supply of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) in the U.S. health care delivery system by providing Medicare payments to five selected hospitals for the reasonable cost of providing clinical training to APRN students. The demonstration also involves the creation of partnerships between hospitals, schools of nursing, and community-based care settings. » Read more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has contracted with Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (“Optimal”) for the Medicare Advantage and Part D Quality Oversight, Monitoring, and Best Practices task order. » Read more