Output

Recent Speaking Engagements

Current Research Projects

The Digital Patient Project (2021)

This project has three significant components: the development of an open computational platform to facilitate collaborative research related to the digital patient;  designing and building the data lake necessary to begin developing and testing applications of the digital patient framework to improve diagnosis and treatment; and conducting two proof of concept pilot applications of the digital patient framework in areas of great importance in the Hampton Roads region—prostate cancer and low weight births.

The Digital Neighborhood (2021)

The Digital Neighborhoods to Mitigate Health Disparities in Norfolk project seeks to engage with community stakeholders to leverage digital health and health equity resources at Old Dominion University (ODU), Norfolk State University (NSU), and Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) with extensive relevant datasets curated by the City of Norfolk. With stakeholder participation, we will create “Smart Cities” Digital Twins for the neighborhoods of the City of Norfolk. Those twinned simulations will be used to design and test a variety of interventions with measurable impacts for specific health disparities, also identified and developed through our local stakeholder partnerships. The Digital Neighborhoods will link to a Digital Health Range connecting data and models, and linking innovation at ODU, NSU, EVMS, and Sentara. This approach builds on ongoing computational collaborations among ODU, NSU, and EVMS. Once feasibility is demonstrated for Norfolk, this approach can be expanded to include additional Hampton Roads localities. An overarching effort will leverage a separately-funded Open Computational Platform called the Digital Patient Model.

Past Research & Publications

A list of research and papers I have published or presented. Similar information available here.

• Simulation in Healthcare: A Concept Map, Robert K. Armstrong, Jr.
  • Book Chapter: Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation: Improving Healthcare Systems, Editors: Deutsch, Ellen S., Perry, Shawna J., Gurnaney, Harshad G. (Eds.), 2021
  • Abstract: This chapter provides a relatively simple explanation of the comprehensive ways that modeling, simulation, and analysis can be used across the entirety of the healthcare industry. The explanation is provided as a concept map diagram. Concept maps are visual representations of knowledge and are similar to mind maps. The chapter breaks down the ways that models and simulations are used in four related but often independent domains: (1) Administration, Business, and Management; (2) Practitioner and Patient Safety; (3) Theory and Science; and (4) Logistics and Physical Process. While a hospital environment typically leverages all four of these domains on a regular basis, the ways that models and simulations are used are slightly different within each domain. It is important for operators within each of these domains to understand the opportunity and value models and simulations can provide across the comprehensive system.
  • Companion Website: medsimcmaps.org
• Making the Case for Cross-industry/Cross-disciplinary MS&V Collaboration ‘Cooperation for Mutual Benefit’, Rick Severinghaus, Bob Armstrong, 2019
  • Conference Paper: MODSIM World Conference & Expo, 2019, Norfolk, Virginia
  • Abstract: Organizations advocating and promoting M&S as a discipline, practice, and technology have existed for some two to three decades. Most have focused on one or more industries or government domains of interest (e.g., DoD) with emphasis on development and sustainment of domain-specific technologies, processes, application guidelines, and, indeed, M&S standards. What has been noticeably absent from many of these organizational efforts is focus on the economic, efficiency, and exogenous benefits of collaboration and exchange of ideas and data among diverse and nominally separate application domains (military weaponry, basic research, healthcare safety, training in many domains, etc.) Rarely have organizational efforts been focused on investigation and evaluation of the benefits to be realized by dedicated collaboration amongst organizations, or on investigation of efficient and effective allocation of efforts in areas which are common to application of modeling, simulation, and visualization technologies and capabilities. Yet the benefits of wide-ranging collaborations among diverse organizations and enterprises are potentially huge. Using the healthcare domain as representative of the issues expressed here, this paper addresses and recommends actions and activities for applying MS&V technologies toward mitigation of the serious problem first formally addressed in the seminal 2000 report, “Too Err is Human”: errors in patient care, leading to poor patient outcomes. Recommendations for action, based on past work by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization, the National Training & Simulation Association, and the National Modeling & Simulation Coalition, will be articulated. Recommendations will address MS&V technology, research, training, and governance.
• Toward Live Virtual Constructive Simulations in Healthcare Learning, Jose J. Padilla, PhD, Saikou Y. Diallo, PhD, Robert K. Armstrong, MS, 2018
  • Journal Paper: Simulation in Healthcare; Journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare
  • Statement: This article explores the combination of live, virtual, and constructive (LVC) simulations in healthcare. Live, virtual, and constructive simulations have long existed in the military, but their consideration (and deployment) in medical and healthcare domains is relatively new. We conducted a review on LVC- its current application in the military domain -and highlight an approach, challenges, and present suggestions for its implementation in healthcare learning. Furthermore, based on the state of the art in simulation in healthcare, we suggest that a combination of two simulation types (LV, VC, LC) at the time may be a simpler approach to the community at large.
• Modeling and Simulation Societies Shaping the Profession, Bob Armstrong, Simon J.E. Taylor, 2017
  • Book Chapter: The Profession of Modeling and Simulation: Discipline, Ethics, Education, Vocation, Societies, and Economics, Andreas Tolk (Editor), Tuncer Ören (Editor)
  • Abstract: Wendell Berry said, “A proper community, we should remember also, is a commonwealth: a place, a resource, an economy. It answers the needs, practical as well as social and spiritual, of its members — among them the need to need one another. ” While Berry’s quote is referencing the social communities of neighborhoods and churches, the value found in sharing the journey extends to borderless communities – societies and associations – as well. This chapter focuses on the various societies and associations that have and remain committed to shaping the modeling and simulation profession. Societies and associations – the terms are often used interchangeably, and throughout this chapter referred to collectively as organizations – are member-supported groups formed to unite and inform people who work in the same occupation or that have similar professional or personal interests . These organizations can provide a strong sense of community and a base and impetus for coordinated activity. Typically, people join societies and associations to work with people who share their interests. A sense of belonging is key to involvement; a sense of belonging to a greater community improves motivation, health, and happiness – while also fostering teamwork while the community works towards a common set of goals. In a sense, the societies and associations people join for professional and personal interests are microcosmic representations of the general societies that we inhabit as human beings – the collection of people, infrastructure, and government that promotes the relatively ordered world where we work, play, and sleep.
• International Healthcare Opportunities for Virginia Defense Companies, 2017
  • Market Assessment performed for the Going Global Defense Initiative at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership
  • This report examines the international healthcare sector and identifies opportunities for Virginia’s defense-related companies. The report focuses on five healthcare markets: Australia, Canada, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
• A Model for Evaluating Healthcare Simulation Systems, 2013
  • Conference Paper: 2013 Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care: Advancing the Cause, Baltimore, Maryland
• CACCTUS: Linking the Live, Virtual, and Constructive Environments, , Robert K. Armstrong, Michael P. Bailey, Gregory R. Caldwell, Nancy Harmon, 2004
  • Conference Paper: Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference, 2004, Orlando, Florida
  • Abstract: The Marine Corps’ Combined Arms Command and Control Training Upgrade System (CACCTUS) is a transformational program that will add significant enhancements to the all aspects of Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) training. CACCTUS will enable comprehensive Marine Corps staff, unit, and individual training across the Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) training realms through the incorporation of all appropriate Command, Control, Communication, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) architectures and equipment. Further, CACCTUS will facilitate multi-echelon as well as distributed training opportunities, thereby increasing the breadth and scope of future training events. Also, CACCTUS will incorporate links to and from the live training environment, to include robust capture and display of events for detailed after action review. This paper describes the capabilities that CACCTUS will bring to the Marine Corps and how it will further Marine Corps Training Transformation.
• The Deployable Virtual Training Environment, Michael P. Bailey, Robert Armstrong, 2002
  • Conference Paper: Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference, Orlando, Florida
  • Abstract: The Deployable Virtual Training Environment (DVTE) project, sponsored by the Director, Expeditionary Warfare (N75) in the Office of the CNO, is a collaborative effort between the Program Executive Officer, Expeditionary Warfare (PEO EXW) and Marine Corps Training and Education Command (TECOM). The intended product of this effort is to provide enhanced shipboard operational training simulators on amphibious ships for embarked Marines and to field a flexible, deployable, training system that addresses requirements for combined arms MAGTF and Naval Integration training. DVTE was established to provide a shipboard and shore training system that maintains and enhances embarked Marine war fighting proficiency.
• The Relative Performance of Various Mapping Algorithms is Independent of Sizable Variances in Run-Time Predictions, Robert Armstrong, Debra Hensgen, Taylor Kidd, 1998
  • Conference Paper: Heterogeneous Computing Workshop, 1998. (HCW 98) Proceedings, Orlando, Florida
  • Abstract: The author studies the performance of four mapping algorithms. The four algorithms include two naive ones: opportunistic load balancing (OLB), and limited best assignment (LBA), and two intelligent greedy algorithms: an O(nm) greedy algorithm, and an O(n²m) greedy algorithm. All of these algorithms, except OLB, use expected run-times to assign jobs to machines. As expected run-times are rarely deterministic in modern networked and server based systems, he first uses experimentation to determine some plausible run-time distributions. Using these distributions, he next executes simulations to determine how the mapping algorithms perform. Performance comparisons show that the greedy algorithms produce schedules that, when executed, perform better than naive algorithms, even though the exact run-times are not available to the schedulers. He concludes that the use of intelligent mapping algorithms is beneficial, even when the expected time for completion of a job is not deterministic
• Investigation of Effect of Different Run-Time Distributions on Smartnet Performance, Robert K. Armstrong, Jr., 1997
  • Thesis: MS, Computer Science, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California
  • Abstract: This thesis investigates, using in-line simulation, the effect of non-deterministic runtime distributions on the performance of SmartNet’s schedule execution using the Opportunistic Load Balancing (OLB) Algorithm, the Limited Best Assignment (LBA) Algorithm, an O(mn squared) Greedy Algorithm, and an O(mn) Greedy Algorithm. SmartNet is a framework for scheduling jobs and machines in a heterogeneous computing environment. Its major strength is its use of both current machine loads and predicted job/machine performance when generating schedules. Schedules are built to meet various Quality of Service requirements using the above algorithms among others. We enhanced SmartNet’s simulator so that the runtime distributions could be used for experimentation. The distributions were generated using derivations from our study on NAS Benchmarks. Experiments were run for various categories of job/machine heterogeneity to compare the algorithms which account for both load and expected performance (the Greedy algorithms) against OLB and LBA. For all categories of heterogeneity, the greedy algorithms outperformed the other two algorithms for both truncated Gaussian and exponential distributions. For these same distributions, the O(mn) Greedy algorithm performed as well as the O(mn2) Greedy algorithm when the heterogeneity of jobs and machines was high.