Dedicated to the engineering of complex healthcare systems, the I4S department designs and optimizes solutions for healthcare efficiency. Supported by a team of 20 people in operations research and industrial engineering, the department collaborates with an extensive hospital network to transform health data into performance drivers.
Head of Department
Thierry Garaix
Email: garaix@mines-stetienne.fr
Phone: +33 4 77 42 66 41
Areas of Expertise
Core Competencies
- Flow modeling and simulation
Extensive experience in methods such as discrete event simulation, Petri nets, Markov chains, and queuing systems to analyze complex healthcare systems. - Optimization
Expertise in combinatorial, stochastic, and dynamic optimization for planning and scheduling problems, particularly in the context of healthcare decision-making. - Health data
Use of machine learning, process mining, digital twins, signal processing, and image analysis to extract key information and support medical decisions.
Fields of activity
- Systems and services engineering
Process analysis and design to improve healthcare efficiency and quality. - Planning and logistics
Optimization of hospital flows, resource management, and service organization to meet the growing needs of the sector. - Health data and medical decision support
Development of decision support tools based on data analysis to improve patient care and healthcare facility management.
Methodological approach
Research is based on the development of mathematical methods and software tools in partnership with the MedTechLab (a Living Lab and digital health experimentation space affiliated with the Centre for Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering), hospitals, and healthcare stakeholders. This interdisciplinary approach enables the evaluation and optimization of healthcare systems and services, while integrating advanced digital solutions.
Research Areas
- Hospital flow optimization
Improving the organization and management of healthcare facilities to maximize care efficiency. - Digital tools for healthcare
Development of intelligent platforms to support clinical decision-making and resource management. - Connected health
Integration of connected devices into care processes for better coordination. - Patient-centered approach
Analysis of care pathways to enhance the patient experience while reducing costs.
Research unit
Within LIMOS (UMR 6158), the I4S department plays a key role in developing optimization and modeling methods for complex systems, with direct applications to healthcare and health systems.
80% of the team members develop their activities within the Decision-Making Tools for Production and Services axis under the theme: Service Design and Planning.
Scientific collaborations
- Interuniversity Laboratory of Movement Biology (LIBM – Research Unit)
- Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University
CIS-Lab Portal: a sharing and demonstration tool
The CIS-Lab portal provides open access to visualizations and demonstrations of certain tools developed in the I4S department. It allows researchers, students, and partners to access bibliographic resources, data, code, software, videos, or demonstrators.
Contact and Practical Information
- Head of Department
Thierry Garaix - Email
garaix@mines-stetienne.fr - Phone
+33 4 77 42 66 41
- Address
École des Mines de Saint-Étienne
Centre for Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering
10, rue de la Marandière,
42270 Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, France - Transport
Tram T1 or T3, “Hôpital Nord” stop (terminus)