Isabelina Nahmens
Professor of Industrial Engineering
Industrial Engineering Program Director
3261C Patrick F. Taylor Hall
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
225-578-0943
Educational Background
- Ph.D., Industrial Engineering, University of Central Florida, 2007
- M.S., Industrial Engineering, University of Central Florida, 2003
- B.S., Industrial Engineering, University of Central Florida, 2001
Research Interests
- Quality Management- Quality Assurance, Control, Analysis, Planning and Improvement
- Quality and Performance Improvement- Lean, Six Sigma
- Engineering and Project Management- Leadership, Strategic Planning, Quality Philosophies
- Healthcare Systems Engineering
- Lean Construction, Offsite Homebuilding Industry, Productivity and Safety
Research Overview
My research interests and efforts are centered in Process Improvement Theory and its application in the fields of healthcare and construction. In healthcare, introducing modern strategies for quality management, and performance and process improvement at different levels (e.g. hospitals to state agencies), to ensure quality of healthcare delivery, improved health outcomes and patient safety. In construction, exploring and introducing advanced homebuilding production technologies into industry and improving homes’ energy performance. This has led to sponsorships from the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Energy (DOE), Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH), W.M. Keck Foundation and private industries. I am a certified Master Black Belt and an active member of the Institute of Industrial and System Engineering (IISE), and Society for Health Systems (SHS).
Recent Projects
- Partnership to Prepare Industrial Engineering Undergraduates for Healthcare Careers
(W.M. Keck Foundation, current)
- This project will expand IE students’ knowledge and career options via a healthcare certificate composed of one new healthcare course, one seminar course, two capstone courses with a healthcare project, and an internship in a healthcare business. A Healthcare Industry Advisory Board (HIAB) will play a prominent role in guiding the initiative.
- IE Research Graduate- Healthcare opportunity
- U2 KneeTMSystem with a Disposable Trial: Cost and Efficiency Study (United Orthopedic Corporation,
completed April 2017)
- This study compares cost and efficiency of using two different technologies (disposable versus traditional trials) used during total knee replacement (TKR) surgeries.
- Organization Performance Excellence: Performance Measurement and Improvement in the
Department of Health and Hospitals (Louisiana DHH, completed June 2015)
- The goals of this project were to develop a performance metrics dashboard for DHH and four of the office within DHH, to streamline business planning documents, and to conduct process improvement projects within each office.
Recent Publications
- Srinivasan, S., Ikuma, L. H., Shakouri, M., Nahmens, I., & Harvey, C. (2016). 5S impact on safety climate of manufacturing workers. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 2016, 27(3), 364-378. doi:10.1108/JMTM-07-2015-0053
- Joukar, A. and Nahmens, I. (2015). Volatility Forecast of Construction Cost Index Using General Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedastic Method. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. doi:10.1061/%28ASCE%29CO.1943-7862.0001020
- Nahmens, I., Joukar, A., and Cantrell, R. (2014). Impact of Low-Income Occupant Behavior on Energy Consumption in Hot-Humid Climates. ASCE Journal of Architectural Engineering, 20(4), Special Section on Housing and Residential Construction. doi: 1061/%28ASCE%29AE.1943-5568.0000162
- Nahmens, I. and Joukar, A. (2014). Key Behaviors of Residents Who Need Energy Education. Cityscape, A Journal of Policy Development and Research, 16(2), 173-178.
- Memari, A., Huelman, P., Iulo, L. , Laquatra, J., Martin, C. , McCoy, A., Nahmens, I., and Williamson, T. (2014). Residential Building Construction -- State-of-the-Art Review. ASCE Journal of Architectural Engineering, 20, Special Section on Housing and Residential Construction. doi: 10.1061/%28ASCE%29AE.1943-5568.0000157
- Ikuma, L. H., & Nahmens, I. (2014). Making safety an integral part of 5S in healthcare. Work: A Journal of Assessment, Prevention, and Rehabilitation, 47(2), 243-251. doi: 10.3233/WOR-121576
- James, J., Ikuma, L. H., Nahmens, I., & Agahzadeh, F. (2014). The impact of kaizen on safety in modular home manufacturing. International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 70, 725-734. doi: 10.1007/s00170-013-5315-0
- Venkateswaran, S., Nahmens, I., & Ikuma, L. (2013). Improving healthcare warehouse operations through 5S. IIE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering, 3(4), 240-253, doi: 10.1080/19488300.2013.857371.
Courses Frequently Taught
- IE1002: Industrial Engineering Fundamentals
- IE4113: Project Management
- IE4453: Quality Control and Six Sigma
- IE4516: Plant and Systems Design
- IE7455: Lean Process Improvement
- IE7722: Engineering Management
Left: Images showing warehouse shelves in disarray before the continuous improvement (Kaizen) intervention; Middle: Students and staff effecting the lean transformation to a warehouse room; Right: Two snapshots of the same warehouse environment after the implementation of the lean transformation as part of the Kaizen event.
Picture of student taking and recording measurements on the internal framework of a building as part of a construction assessment study.
Image of students working in a home construction setting and taking sheetrock measurements
as part of the imolementation of a "Lean-A" strategy for sustainability homebuilding.
Color-coded heat map of an attic access door (left image) showing heat loss of an attic access panel not air sealed or insulated (right image).