The Department of Mathematics, FMIPA UGM, once again organized a Mini Course entitled “Stochastic Operations Research and Its Application in Healthcare Logistics” on 18–20 November 2025 at Meeting Room 1, 3rd Floor, Department of Mathematics. The program featured Prof. Dr. Richard Boucherie, Professor of Stochastic Operations Research from the University of Twente, the Netherlands, as the main speaker.
The mini course was attended by 20 participants consisting of undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students, as well as lecturers and academics from various universities, including UIN Walisongo Semarang and Universitas Prasetiya Mulya Tangerang. The three-day program was moderated and accompanied by Oki Almas Amalia, S.Si., M.Sc.
The first day began with opening remarks by Oki Almas Amalia, followed by a welcoming speech from Dr. Wiwit Suryanto, Vice Dean for Research and Collaboration, FMIPA UGM. In the initial session, Prof. Richard presented “Some Results of Operations Research for Planning in Hospitals,” which was also attended by 15 students from the Master of Hospital Management Program. The session featured an active discussion on the implementation of operations research in healthcare service planning.
Participants then received introductory material on Markov Chains (DTMC and CTMC). This was followed by exercises and group discussions, where participants were divided into four groups consisting of undergraduate, master’s, doctoral students, and lecturers. Each group worked on a case study based on the materials presented by Prof. Richard, with results scheduled for presentation on the third day.
On the second day, Prof. Richard delivered more advanced material on stochastic applications in healthcare logistics, focusing especially on queueing theory. The discussion and Q&A sessions were lively, as participants explored real-world problems commonly encountered in healthcare service management.
The third day began with a session on dynamic programming, followed by exercises and group discussions. Afterward, all groups presented the results of their case studies. The presentation session was dynamic, with participants responding to differences in problem-solving approaches across groups, sparking critical and constructive discussions. Prof. Richard and Oki Almas Amalia also provided feedback and questions to deepen the participants’ analyses.
The event officially concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Nanang Susyanto, M.Sc., M.Act.Sc., Head of the Department of Mathematics UGM, along with the presentation of a token of appreciation to Prof. Richard for his contributions throughout the three-day program.
One of the participants, Addina Mutiara Sevilla, a final-year undergraduate student, shared her experience:
“At first, I was hesitant to join this mini course because it is usually attended by master’s and doctoral students. However, the topic is highly relevant to our undergraduate theses, so my friends and I—who are supervised by Dr. Ertin—decided to participate. This experience has greatly enriched our academic insights.”
This program served as an important platform for strengthening academic capacity among students and academics, while also deepening understanding of stochastic modeling and its applications in healthcare logistics and hospital management, supported through collaboration with the UGM Academic Hospital.
Keywords: Mini Course, Stochastic, Operations Research
Writer: Iin Nauli Rahmawati
Photo: Iin Nauli Rahmawati