The Joseph C. Mello Professorship was created through an endowment established by alumnus Mello (B.S. IE 1980) to support the work of an outstanding Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering faculty member whose work focuses on health care delivery operations.

“I am honored to be named the Joseph C. Mello Professor,” Keskinocak said.  “The opportunities to make a difference in world health and humanitarian response are vast. Through this support, I, my colleagues, and our students, will be able to expand our reach and impact by pushing the boundaries of our research and education in this field.”

Keskinocak’s research focuses on supply chain management, with an emphasis on resource allocation. She is actively engaged in research and applications in health care and humanitarian logistics. She received B.S. and M.S. degrees in industrial engineering from Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey, in 1991 and 1992, and a Ph.D. in operations research from Carnegie Mellon University in 1997. Before joining Georgia Tech, she was with IBM's T.J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY.

Mello, who recently retired from his position as chief operating officer for DaVita, the largest independent provider of dialysis services in the United States, has been a leader in the health care industry throughout his career. In addition to DaVita, Mello served in key management positions with MedPartners Inc. and Vivra Asthma & Allergy Inc.

Understanding the need for increased research and intellectual scholarship concerning the systems-based approach to health care delivery, the Mello’s have generously supported initiatives at Georgia Tech, including the establishment of the Mello Professorship.

 "I couldn't be more pleased with the selection of Dr. Keskinocak as the Mello Professor,” said Mello.  “Her work in humanitarian logistics, applying industrial engineering know-how to global health care concerns, integrates perfectly with those issues that my wife, Ginny, and I are so committed to."