Daniel Otero-León

Daniel Otero-León is an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science in the Department of Systems and Information Engineering. He is also a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the MGH Institute for Technology Assessment (ITA), Massachusetts General Hospital, a position he has held since August 2023. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan (2023), an MSc in Industrial Engineering from Universidad de los Andes, Colombia (2012), and a BSc in Industrial Engineering with a Mathematics minor from the same institution (2010).

His research is centered on developing data-driven, stochastic decision-making frameworks to improve healthcare delivery and policy. Key areas include personalized medicine, cardiovascular disease prevention, substance abuse intervention, and revenue management in healthcare and aviation. He applies advanced methodologies such as Markov Decision Processes, stochastic optimization, and simulation modeling to real-world health data, particularly from electronic health records.

The recent publications highlight a strong trend in applying operations research to public health challenges—particularly in identifying overdose death spikes and optimizing adherence interventions. His earlier work extends into airline revenue management, demonstrating interdisciplinary expertise. Collectively, his research bridges technical operations research with impactful medical and policy applications.

• Scientific Awards:
• 2022 Summa Cum Laude Student Chapter Award (INFORMS Student Chapter at University of Michigan)

Daniel Otero-León has advised and collaborated on multiple research projects involving graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, though specific advisees are not listed. He has been involved in significant grants and research initiatives at MGH and the University of Michigan, particularly those leveraging longitudinal health data for policy simulation. His teaching experience includes courses in Markov processes, decision analysis, stochastic modeling, and marketing engineering at both the University of Michigan and Universidad de los Andes.

He is actively involved in research teams at the MGH Institute for Technology Assessment and participates in the Rising Scholars Postdoctoral Program at the University of Virginia. His lab work focuses on building simulation frameworks and dynamic models to inform clinical guidelines and public health interventions, especially in cardiovascular and substance use domains.