ABOUT ME

Welcome! I am Blair Liu, a fifth-year PhD student at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I expect to receive my doctorate in Business Administration with a specialization in Operations in Spring 2026. My advisors are Bradley Staats, Diwas KC, and Yuqian Xu.

My research interests focus on data-driven, empirical methods to address systematic challenges in healthcare delivery. I focus on two central areas: workforce productivity and technology integration. Specifically, I analyze (1) how clinicians’ work productivity influences operational outcomes, such as staff attrition, and (2) how technology adoption impacts hospital operations and patient results.

I will be joining the Department of Management Science at the Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina, as Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Fall 2026.

RESEARCH INTEREST

Healthcare Operations, Technology Innovation, Digital Health, Workforce Productivity

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Bradley Staats, Diwas KC, Yuqian Xu, Vinayak Deshpande, Seyed Emadi

PUBLICATION

1. Blair Liu, Diwas KC, Bradley Staats, Michael Fundora* (2026). “Operational Overload: The Impact of Workload on High-Skilled Workforce Attrition,” Manufacturing and Service Operations Management.

WORK IN PROGRESS

3. Blair Liu, Diwas KC, Bradley Staats. “Discretionary Task Under Operating Performance: Evidence from Emergency Department”, Draft available upon request.

4. Blair Liu, Diwas KC, Bradley Staats, Michael Fundora*. “Consequences of Nurse Attrition,” Working.

* Denotes on Data Collaborator