Amy Cohn PhD, Faculty Director
Amy Ellen Mainville Cohn (she/her) is an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan, where she also holds an appointment in the Department of Health Management and Policy in the School of Public Health. Dr. Cohn is the Faculty Director of the Center for Healthcare Engineering and Patient Safety (CHEPS). She holds an A.B. in applied mathematics, magna cum laude, from Harvard University and a PhD in operations research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her primary research interests are in applications of combinatorial optimization, particularly to healthcare and aviation, and to the challenges of optimization problems with multiple objective criteria.
She values teaching, mentoring, having a positive impact on society through her work, and helping to foster a vibrant, diverse, nurturing community. She and her husband Jonathan are the proud parents of two sons, Tommy and Peter.
Email: amycohn@umich.edu
Website: amycohn.engin.umich.edu
Christine Linebaugh, Program Director
Christine Linebaugh (she/her) is the Program Director at CHEPS. She has over a decade of experience in healthcare and wellness and is passionate about contributing to impactful change. Christine enjoys spending her free time with her husband, two daughters, and dogs.
Email: lineb@umich.edu
Gene Kim, Administrative Assistant
Gene (they/she/he—I’ve been called them all and they all work for me) graduated with a BA from U-M and then an MBA from EMU. They have worked at the university since 2006 and at CHEPS since 2010. They enjoy dancing ballet, spending time with their dog, and gardening.
Email: genehkim@umich.edu
Marina Epelman, Faculty Affiliate
Marina Epelman (she/her) is a CHEPS Faculty Affiliate as well as an IOE professor at the University of Michigan. She received a BA in Mathematics from Cornell University, a Ph.D. in Operations Research from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has been a professor since. Aside from collaborating on CHEPS projects in patient and provider scheduling, Marina is working with Michigan Medicine on an improved optimization model for radiation treatments for cancer patients. Marina is an enthusiast of Apple technologies, Red Sox baseball, and dogs.
Email: mepelman@umich.edu
William Pozehl, Research Manager
Billy Pozehl (he/him) is a Research Specialist at CHEPS. He began working at the Center as an undergraduate student researcher and holds BSE and MSE degrees in Industrial and Operations Engineering. He has been full-time staff since 2015. He enjoys helping our student CHEPSters brainstorm the challenges they face as they work on our projects and spends his free time watching Michigan sports.
Email: pozewil@umich.edu
Hooman Niktafar, Software Manager
Hooman Niktafar (he/him) is the CHEPS Software Manager who possesses over 20+ years of experience across the IT sector. Prior to joining CHEPS, Hooman earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and worked for several Fortune 500 companies. Hooman holds an extensive background involving software integration/development and cross-functional team management. In his free time, Hooman enjoys playing video games, board games, and kayaking.
Email: nhooman@umich.edu
Emmett Springer, CHEPS & Michigan Medicine Fellow
Emmett Springer (he/him) is a CHEPS and Michigan Medicine Fellow. After earning a BSE in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan, he began working as a student at CHEPS while earning his MS in Industrial & Operations Engineering. After finishing his master’s, he became a staff member at CHEPS in May 2022. Emmett enjoys theatre, playing board games, music, reading, and spending time in nature.
Email: ecspring@umich.edu
Hannah Buck, Communications Specialist
Hannah Buck (she/her) is the CHEPS Communications Specialist. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2019 having majored in Creative Writing & Literature and minored in Digital Studies. After a few years of teaching middle school in New York City, she returned to Michigan to join CHEPS in March 2023. Outside of work, Hannah is a reader, writer, and nature lover.
Email: buckh@umich.edu