Ph.D., 1983, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Management (Major: System Dynamics, Minor: Economics.)
Dissertation: "A Dynamic Model for Analyzing the Emergence of New Medical Technologies" (649 pp.)
M.S., 1977, Stanford University, Statistics.
B.S., 1977, Stanford University, Mathematical Sciences. Phi Beta Kappa, 1976.
Employment
1989-present......Sole Proprietor, Homer Consulting, Voorhees, NJ.
1984-1989..........Assistant Professor, USC, Los Angeles, CA.
1980-1981..........Program Analyst, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
1977-1981..........Research Associate and Teaching Assistant, MIT, Cambridge, MA.
Sponsored Project Topics (partial list)
How to change U.S. health policy so that it simultaneously reduces costs, illness, and disparities?
How to allocate Veterans Administration funds for the prevention and treatment of strokes?
How to reduce the burden of AIDS in a developing country through community-based supportive services?
How to reduce the future health burden of cardiovascular risk factors?
How to reduce the future health burden of diabetes?
How quickly and to what extent can the rise of obesity in the U.S. be reversed?
How to improve the capacity of a hospital to handle a disaster-related surge in demand?
How to improve educational attainment in a developing country?
How to market and price a new pediatric vaccine?
How to manage growth in a financial services workforce to accommodate shifts in demand?
How to reconfigure a product development workforce to increase its effective capacity?
How to ensure continued growth in demand for a leading brand of motorcycles?
How to expand nationwide cell phone service in a developing country in a profitable way?
How to manage the inventory of test items for a computer-based educational test?
How to improve the service and financial performance of a freight railroad?
Professional Activities
Recipient of 1997 Jay W. Forrester Award of System Dynamics Society, for best contribution to the field in the preceding five years.
Recipient, as part of a 9-person team, of 2008 inaugural Applied Systems Thinking Prize of the ASysT Institute, for collaborative work on a problem of national significance.
Co-founder, Health Policy Special Interest Group of SD Society.
Duties for Annual International SD Conferences: Thursday Workshops organizer, Modeling Assistance Workshop director, Health Applications Thread co-chair, Forrester Award committee member, Lupina Student Award committee member.
Referee for System Dynamics Review, American Journal of Public Health, Management Science, Interfaces, European Journal of Operational Research, American Journal of Evaluation, and other journals.
Journal Articles
Milstein B, Homer J, Hirsch G. Are Coverage and Quality Enough? A Dynamic Systems Approach to Health Policy. American Journal of Public Health. Forthcoming 2010.
Homer J, Milstein B, Wile K, Trogdon J, Huang P, Labarthe D, Orenstein D. Simulating and Evaluating Local Interventions to Improve Cardiovascular Health. Preventing Chronic Disease, 7(1), January 2010. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2010/jan/08_0231.htm.
Hirsch G, Homer J. System Dynamics Applications to Health Care in the United States. In Encyclopedia of Complexity and System Science, ed. R Meyers. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany. ISBN 978-0-387-75888-6. July 2009.
Homer J, Milstein B, Wile K, Pratibhu P, Farris R, Orenstein D. Modeling the Local Dynamics of Cardiovascular Health: Risk Factors, Context, and Capacity. Preventing Chronic Disease, 5(2), April 2008. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2008/apr/07_0230.htm.
Homer J. Reply to Jay Forrester's "System Dynamics--the Next Fifty Years". System Dynamics Review, 23(4):465-467, 2007.
Homer J, Hirsch G, Milstein B. Chronic Illness in a Complex Health Economy: The Perils and Promises of Downstream and Upstream Reforms. System Dynamics Review, 23(2-3):313-343, 2007.
Milstein B, Jones A, Homer J, Murphy D, Essien J, Seville D. Charting Plausible Futures for Diabetes Prevalence in the United States: A Role for System Dynamics Simulation Modeling. Preventing Chronic Disease, 4(3), July 2007. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2007/jul/06_0070.htm.
Homer J, Hirsch G. System Dynamics Modeling for Public Health: Background and Opportunities. American Journal of Public Health, 96(3):452-458, 2006.
Jones A, Homer J, Murphy D, Essien J, Milstein B, Seville D. Understanding Diabetes Population Dynamics Through Simulation Modeling and Experimentation. American Journal of Public Health, 96(3):488-494, 2006.
Hoard M, Homer J, Manley W, Furbee P, Haque A, Helmkamp J. Systems Modeling in Support of Evidence-Based Disaster Planning for Rural Areas. Intl. J of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 208: 117-125, 2005.
Homer J, Hirsch G, Minniti M, Pierson M. Models for Collaboration: How System Dynamics Helped a Community Organize Cost-Effective Care for Chronic Illness. System Dynamics Review, 20(3): 199-222, 2004.
Homer J. A Dynamic Model of Cocaine Prevalence in the United States. In System Dynamics, ed. Y Barlas, Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), available at http://www.eolss.net. Developed under auspices of UNESCO, EOLSS Publishers, Oxford, UK. 2004.
Homer J, Oliva R. Maps and Models in System Dynamics: A Response to Coyle. System Dynamics Review, 17(4): 347-355, 2001.
Homer J, Ritchie-Dunham J, Rabbino H, Puente L, Jorgensen J, Hendricks K. Toward a Dynamic Theory of Antibiotic Resistance. System Dynamics Review, 16(4): 287-319, 2000.
Homer J. Macro- and Micro-Modeling of Field Service Dynamics. System Dynamics Review, 15(2): 139-162, 1999.
Homer J. Structure, Data, and Compelling Conclusions: Notes from the Field. System Dynamics Review, 13(4): 293-309, 1997.
Homer J. Why We Iterate: Scientific Modeling in Theory and Practice. System Dynamics Review, 12(1): 1-19, 1996.
Homer J. A System Dynamics Model for Cocaine Prevalence Estimation and Trend Projection. Journal of Drug Issues, 23(2): 251-279, 1993.
Homer J. Projecting the Impact of Law Enforcement on Cocaine Prevalence. Journal of Drug Issues, 23(2): 281-295, 1993.
Homer J. A System Dynamics Model of National Cocaine Prevalence. System Dynamics Review, 9(1): 49-78, 1993.
Homer J, St. Clair C. A Model of HIV Transmission Through Needle Sharing. Interfaces, 21(3): 26-49, 1991.
Homer J. A Diffusion Model with Application to Evolving Medical Technologies. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 31(3): 197-218, 1987.
Homer J. Worker Burnout: A Dynamic Model with Implications for Prevention and Control. System Dynamics Review, 1(1): 42-62, Summer 1985.
Finkelstein S, Homer J, Sondik E. Modeling the Dynamics of Decision-Making for Emerging Medical Technologies. R & D Management, 14(3): 175-191, 1984.
Roberts E, Homer J, Kasabian A, Varrel M. A Systems View of the Smoking Problem. International Journal of Biomedical Computing, 13: 69-86, 1982.
Homer J. Theories of the Industrial Revolution: A Feedback Perspective. DYNAMICA, 8(1): 30-35, Summer 1982.
Conference Papers and Presentations (material not published elsewhere)
Milstein B, Homer J, Hirsch G. The "HealthBound" Policy Simulation Game: An Adventure in Health Reform. 27th International System Dynamics Conference, Albuquerque, NM, 2009.
Matchar DB, Lich KH, Homer J, Lee SD. Using System Dynamics Tools to Integrate Evidence into VA Stroke Care. QUERI National Meeting, Phoenix, AZ, December 2008.
Homer J, Milstein B, Dietz W, Buchner D, Majestic E. Obesity Population Dynamics: Exploring Historical Growth and Plausible Futures in the U.S. 24th International System Dynamics Conference, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, 2006.
Hirsch G, Homer J, McDonnell G, Milstein B. Achieving Health Care Reform in the United States: Toward a Whole-System Understanding. 23rd International System Dynamics Conference, Boston, MA, 2005.
Manley W, Homer J, and others. A Dynamic Model to Support Surge Capacity Planning in a Rural Hospital. 23rd International System Dynamics Conference, Boston, MA, 2005.
Homer J, Jones A, Seville D, Essien J, Milstein B, Murphy D. The CDC’s Diabetes Systems Modeling Project: Developing a New Tool for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control. 22nd International System Dynamics Conference, Oxford, England, 2004.
Hirsch G, Homer J. Modeling the Dynamics of Health Care Services for Improved Chronic Illness Management. 22nd International System Dynamics Conference, Oxford, England, 2004.
Hirsch G, Homer J. Integrating Chronic Illness Management, Improved Access to Care, and Idealized Clinical Practice Design in Health Care Organizations: A Systems Thinking Approach. International Conference on Systems Thinking in Management, Philadelphia, PA, 2004.
Homer J, Milstein B. Optimal Decision Making in a Dynamic Model of Community Health. Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Waikoloa-Kona, Hawaii, 2004.
Homer J, Milstein B. Planning Comprehensive Public Health Programs: A Promising Opportunity for SD. System Dynamics Winter Camp, Austin, TX, 2003.
Homer J, Milstein B. Communities with Multiple Afflictions: A System Dynamics Approach to the Study and Prevention of Syndemics. 20th International System Dynamics Conference, Palermo, Italy, 2002.
Homer J, Jorgensen J, Hendricks K. Modeling the Emergence of Multidrug Antibiotic Resistance. 19th International System Dynamics Conference, Atlanta, GA, 2001.
Homer J. Notes from the S.D./O.R. Frontier. System Dynamics Winter Camp, Austin, TX, 2000.
Homer J, Keane T, Lukianseva N, Bell D. Evaluating Strategies to Improve Railroad Performance: A System Dynamics Approach. Winter Simulation Conference, Phoenix, AZ, 1999.
Homer J, Nickols F. Enterprise Modeling at ETS: Highways and Byways. International System Dynamics Conference, Cambridge, MA, 1996.
Homer J. System Dynamics for Strategic Forecasting. Pharmaceutical Management Science Association Conference, Captiva Island, FL, 1994.
Homer J. Pharmaceutical Market Models for Strategy Support. TIMS/ORSA National Conference, Cambridge, MA, 1994.
Homer, J, Sterman J, Greenwood B, Perkola M. Delivery Time Reduction in Pulp and Paper Mill Construction Projects: A Dynamic Analysis of Alternatives. International System Dynamics Conference, Cancún, Mexico, 1993.
Homer J, Somers I. Defense Program Lifecycle Management: A Dynamic Model for Policy Analysis. International System Dynamics Conference, La Jolla, CA, 1988.
Homer J, John R, Cotreau W. A Dynamic Model for Understanding Eating Disorders. International System Dynamics Conference, Seville, Spain, 1986.
Homer J. “By Prescription Only”: A Computer Simulation Game for Understanding the Emergence of New Medical Treatments. 3rd International System Dynamics Conference, Keystone, CO, 1985.
Homer J. Partial-Model Testing as a Validation Tool for System Dynamics. International System Dynamics Conference, Chestnut Hill, MA, 1983.
Homer J. The Effect of Government Regulation on the Emergence of a New Medical Technology. International System Dynamics Conference, Rensellaerville, NY, 1981.
Reports and Monographs
Homer J. Diabetes System Model Reference Guide (revised). For the Division of Diabetes Translation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (in association with Sustainability Institute and Center for Public Health Practice, Emory University), August 2006.
Homer J. The Evolution of a Radical New Technology: The Implantable Cardiac Pacemaker. MIT Sloan School of Management Case Study (ed. J Sterman), 1996.
Hser Y-I, Anglin MD, Wickens T, Brecht M-L, Homer J. Techniques for the Estimation of Illicit Drug-Use Prevalence: An Overview of Relevant Issues. National Institute of Justice Research Report NCJ 133786, May 1992.
Homer J. A Dynamic Model for Analyzing the Impact of Configuration Management on Program Implementation. Submitted to Hughes Aircraft Company (under contract with USC), September 1985.
Homer J. The Role of Consumer Demand in Business Cycle Entrainment. System Dynamics Group Paper D-3227-1, MIT, Cambridge, MA, October 1980.
Homer J. Home Insurance in a Changing Residential Community: A System Dynamics Approach and Case Study. Sloan School Working Paper WP 1107-80, MIT, Cambridge, MA, Dec. 1979.
Back to Homer Consulting main page